Italy Seeks Ancient Loot From Symes Trustees
By Suzan Mazur
"The collection represents a selection of objects from a larger collection formed by Maurice Tempelsman, a diamond
merchant resident in New York, over the past twenty-five years. The individual pieces come from a variety of sources,
although the largest number were provided directly by, or were bought legally through, Robin Symes of London. All have
been legally imported into the U.S. The collection is currently in the Museum." -- Acquisition Notes of Getty Museum antiquities curator Arthur Houghton cited in The Medici Conspiracy.
Among the high profile clients of British antiquities dealer Robin Symes was Maurice Tempelsman -- one of the pillars of the Eastern Establishment (Council on Foreign Relations, African
American Institute, long-time beau of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and "friend" of former Clinton Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright); Leon Levy & Shelby White and the Metropolitan Museum of Art were customers too. Symes bought his pieces primarily from
now-convicted antiquities smuggler Giacomo Medici, the man who sold the Euphronios Sarpedon vases to Bob Hecht.
In a reversal of fortune beginning with the accidental death of Symes's long-time business partner and companion
Christos Michaelides ten years ago at a dinner party in Italy hosted by Levy & White and then many months in prison in the UK -- Symes, once the prince of the ancient art trade, is now bankrupt. And
Italy is asking for restitution of some 1,000 artifacts from Symes's Trustees in Bankruptcy, according to Maurizio
Fiorilli, the lawyer for Italy's Ministry of Culture who negotiated the return of the Euphronios krater and other
treasures from America's museums.
Although Symes destroyed most of the documents related to his business partnership with Michaelides, there is still an
indelible photo trail. Here is a sampling of the pieces Italy seeks as part of its cultural patrimony. In some cases
there is an exact match of photos of objects seized during raids on Medici in Geneva and Santa Marinella and those from
the Symes hoard.
Related Articles:
"Madeleine Albright & Maurice Tempelsman Q""Mr. Garsin from Kinshasa" "Deeper Into The Dillon-Eupronios Nexus" Maurizio Fiorilli - Italy's Antiquities ProsecutorRelated Link >> Harvard Law School, Art Law 2008 Syllabus
Images Courtesy of Davide Proietti/Carabinieri Art Squad
1. Etruscan terracotta relief, draped woman Southern Etruria
Photo Medici ----- Photo Symes #2603
Click for big versions
2. Etruscan terracotta head
Photo Medici --------- Photo - Symes #2582
Click for big versions
3. Etruscan gold and glass beaded necklace with round flat pendant
Photo Medici
Photo Medici --------- Photo - Symes #2841
Click for big versions
4. Etruscan gold and blue class beaded necklace with gold amphora
Photo Medici ----------- Photo - Symes
Click for big version
5. # 199 Earthenware pot with applied panel relief decoration from Vulci, 7th Century BC
Click for big version
6. #2624 Patera with handle in human shape, Greek from Southern Italy, 6th Century BC
Click for big version
7. #G 1210 Bone fibulae - dolphins from Taranto
Click for big version
8. #I 1269 Terracotta vegetal ornaments from Taranto
Click for big version
9. #37D Foot of black-figure Attic vase with Etruscan inscription
Click for big version
10. #I/1190 Italic or Etruscan bronze statuette, 6th - 5th Century BC
Click for big version
11. #R 2767 Silver phiale, two silver cups (calathus) and a silver patera, 1st - 2nd Century AD. Similar to artifacts
from Pompeii, Ercolano and Boscoreale
Click for big version
12. #2361 Carinated cup with baccellature common to the Vesuvian area, decorated on the outward side with leaf designs
in pairs.
Click for big version
ENDS