Provenance Information

Ex coll. Jonathan Kagan, New York, New York. Ex coll. Damon Mezzacappa (ca. 1936-2015), New York, New York. Purchased by MCCM from Michael Ward [Ward & Company, Works of Art, Inc.], New York, New York.

Exhibition Information

MCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, 2000 - May 2004
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, September 2004 - August 2007
Arte Etruriae Renascuntur, Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, Alabama, August 2007 - March 2008
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, March 2008 - April 28, 2014
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, July 2014 - Present

Publication Information

MCCM Newsletter, March - May 2000.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Gift or bequest expected or on loan prior to 2008

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

Object was purchased by museum in 1999.

Provenance Information

Ex private European collection, assembled prior to early 1980s. European art market. Ex private collection, London, England, from ca. 1984-1985. Purchased by Emory University Museum of Art and Archaeology from Michael Ward [Ward & Company, Works of Art, Inc.], New York, New York.

Exhibition Information

Goddess and Polis: The Panathenaic Festival in Ancient Athens, Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, Florida, January 9 - March 28, 1993
MCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, May 11,1993 - March 1996
Nike: Victory and Competition at the Ancient Greek Festival Games, Michael C. Carlos Museum, March 30 - August 18, 1996
MCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, August 1996 - May 2004
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, September 2004 - April 28, 2014
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, July 2014 - Present

Publication Information

Michael C. Carlos Museum Handbook (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 1996), 58.
MCCM Newsletter, March - May 2006.
Joel LeMon, "Through the Museum with the Bible," SBL Forum, 2006.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Gift or bequest expected or on loan prior to 2008

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

Object was purchased by the museum in 1991.

Provenance Information

By 2007, Theodore Sarmas (b. 1938 – d. 2018), London; 2008, sold by Theodore Sarmas, through Robert Haber and Associates, New York, to George and Margo Behrakis, Tewksbury, MA; 2022, gift of George and Margo Behrakis to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 22, 2022)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
In 2008, this bracelet was purchased with the guidance of the Museum. The owner, Theodore Sarmas, provided documentation to the MFA that lists “a bracelet” along with trays, brooches, belts, crosses, and “other various items” that his father had acquired in 1937 from a Liverpool collector, Mr. Barry, and that were passed along to Mr. Sarmas at his father’s death in 1963. With this documentation, the MFA accepted the bracelet as a promised gift.

New information has come to light, suggesting that this was a false provenance used repeatedly by the seller. The story may have been fabricated to disguise a recent instance of archaeological looting. Normally, the MFA would not accept or hold an object believed to have been illicitly excavated without reaching out to representatives of the country of origin. In this case, however, the bracelet’s country of origin is not known. By drawing attention to its lack of provenance, the MFA hopes to increase the visibility of the bracelet, raise awareness of the problem of unprovenanced antiquities on the market, and bring in additional information from others.

Exhibition Information

"Past is Present: Revival Jewelry," MFA, Boston, February 14, 2017 - August 19, 2018.

Publication Information

Yvonne .J. Markowitz, Artful Adornments: Jewlery from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2011), p. 57.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Informed judgement that works were outside of the country of modern discovery before 1970

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

At the time this was acquired, its provenance was believed to be traceable to a date earlier than 1970. The MFA has since uncovered new information that casts doubts on this account of its ownership history.

Provenance Information

Ex coll. Simon Ohan Simonian, Switzerland, from 1970s. Imported into United States, 2003. Ex coll. Joop Bollen, United States, purchased from Kevork Simonian [Nomis Antiquities], Van Nuys, California, 2006. Ex coll. Joseph and Sofi Lewis, United States.

Exhibition Information

To our knowledge, this object has never been exhibited.

Publication Information

To our knowledge, this object has never been published.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Cumulative facts and circumstances

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

Object was reportedly out of source country before current export laws and regulations were put in place. The Carlos continues to conduct provenance research on this object and all of our collections.

Provenance Information

Ex coll. Simon Ohan Simonian, Switzerland, from 1960s. Imported into United States, July 8, 2003. Ex coll. Joseph and Sofi Lewis, United States, purchased from Kevork Simonian [Nomis Antiquities], Van Nuys, California, February 22, 2008.

Exhibition Information

To our knowledge, this object has never been exhibited.

Publication Information

To our knowledge, this object has never been published.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Cumulative facts and circumstances

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

Object was reportedly out of source country before 1970. The Carlos continues to conduct provenance research on this object and all of our collections.

Provenance Information

Ex coll. Michael Shubin (1950-2008), Montebello, California, purchased from Simon Ohan or Kevork Simonian, California, September 19, 1990.

Exhibition Information

To our knowledge, this object has never been exhibited.

Publication Information

To our knowledge, this object has never been published.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Partial interest received prior to 2008

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

The initial gift was accepted under the guidelines of the 2004 AAMD Report on the Acquisition of Archaeological Materials and Ancient Art as an extraordinary teaching resource.

Provenance Information

Ex coll. Michael Shubin (1950-2008), Montebello, California, acquired from Simon Ohan or Kevork Simonian, California, September 18, 1990.

Exhibition Information

To our knowledge, this object has never been exhibited.

Publication Information

To our knowledge, this object has never been published.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Partial interest received prior to 2008

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

The initial gift was accepted under the guidelines of the 2004 AAMD Report on the Acquisition of Archaeological Materials and Ancient Art as an extraordinary teaching resource.

Provenance Information

Ex coll. Michael Shubin (1950-2008), Montebello, California, acquired from Simon Ohan Simonian, California, September 20, 1991.

Exhibition Information

Michael C. Carlos Museum, Permanent Collection Galleries, June 26, 2015 - Present

Publication Information

To our knowledge, this object has never been published.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Partial interest received prior to 2008

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

The initial gift was accepted under the guidelines of the 2004 AAMD Report on the Acquisition of Archaeological Materials and Ancient Art as an extraordinary teaching resource.

Provenance Information

Ex coll. Michael Shubin (1950-2008), Montebello, California, acquired from Simon Ohan Simonian, California, September 20, 1991.

Exhibition Information

Michael C. Carlos Museum, Permanent Collection Galleries, June 26, 2015 - Present

Publication Information

To our knowledge, this object has never been published.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Partial interest received prior to 2008

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

The initial gift was accepted under the guidelines of the 2004 AAMD Report on the Acquisition of Archaeological Materials and Ancient Art as an extraordinary teaching resource.

Provenance Information

Ex coll. Michael Shubin (1950-2008), Montebello, California, acquired from Simon Ohan Simonian, California, May (?) 22, 1992.

Exhibition Information

Michael C. Carlos Museum, Permanent Collection Galleries, June 26, 2015 - Present

Publication Information

To our knowledge, this object has never been published.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Partial interest received prior to 2008

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

The initial gift was accepted under the guidelines of the 2004 AAMD Report on the Acquisition of Archaeological Materials and Ancient Art as an extraordinary teaching resource.