Provenance Information

with Dr. Milton Jacobs (1927-2018), San Antonio, by 2018; gift of his estate to the San Antonio Museum of Art, 2019

Exhibition Information

n/a

Publication Information

n/a

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

The collector from whose estate the San Antonio Museum of Art acquired this work purchased a number of ancient objects on the London art market in the 1960s and 1970s, but SAMA has been unable to substantiate the precise date when he acquired this bottle. The bottle is inscribed on the bottom, in ink, with what appears to be a former inventory number: 955.64.21/E119, but SAMA has been unable to identify a previous owner associated with this number. SAMA’s collection has no other bottles of this type, so the acquisition fills a gap in the collection of Roman glass.

Provenance Information

with Dr. Milton Jacobs (1927-2018), San Antonio, by 2018; gift of his estate to the San Antonio Museum of Art, 2019

Exhibition Information

n/a

Publication Information

n/a

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

The collector from whose estate the San Antonio Museum of Art acquired this work purchased a number of ancient objects on the London art market in the 1960s and 1970s, but SAMA has been unable to substantiate the precise date when he acquired this bottle. The bottle is inscribed on the bottom, in ink, with what appears to be a former inventory number: 955.64.21/E119, but SAMA has been unable to identify a previous owner associated with this number. SAMA’s collection has no other bottles of this type, so the acquisition fills a gap in the collection of Roman glass.

Provenance Information

with Dr. Milton Jacobs (1927-2018), San Antonio, by 2018; gift of his estate to the San Antonio Museum of Art, 2019

Exhibition Information

n/a

Publication Information

n/a

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

The collector from whose estate the San Antonio Museum of Art acquired this work purchased a number of ancient objects on the London art market in the 1960s and 1970s, but SAMA has been unable to substantiate the precise date when he acquired this bottle. SAMA’s collection has only one other bottle of this type, so the acquisition fills a gap in the collection of Roman glass.

Provenance Information

Hagop Kevorkian, New York (before d. 1962); Sotheby's, New York, November 1975, to Jenkins-Madina; Marilyn Jenkins-Madina, New York (1975–2017; gifted to MMA)

Exhibition Information

This work has been on loan to and on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in its Islamic Gallery 454 since 2013.

Publication Information

This work is unpublished.

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

This work has confirmed provenance to 1975 when it was acquired by Marilyn Jenkins-Madina. This work was reportedly in the collection of Hagop Kevorkian by 1962, but the Metropolitan Museum has been unable to independently confirm that provenance. An oval label that says “Kevorkian Collection” is sitting loose in the work of art. This work has been on loan to and on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art since 2013. This work will be the only glass box from Medieval Egypt in the Metropolitan Museum collection of Islamic Art. It is a rare example of the use of glass for such a container which would have held a precious substance such as musk, ambergris or some other aromatic material. Its 13th century date indicates the continuing production of glass at the end of the Fatimid Dynasty and beginning of the Ayyubid Dynasty in Egypt, one of the main glass-making centers of the Islamic world.

Provenance Information

Collection of Sleiman Aboutaam, circa 1980’s; with Phoenix Ancient Art, New York and Geneva, until 1993. Purchased by Renée E. and Robert A. Belfer from Phoenix Ancient Art, New York, on December 13, 1993. Given by Renée E. and Robert A. Belfer to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2012.

Exhibition Information

The work has been on loan to, and on display at, The Metropolitan Museum of Art since April 2007.

Publication Information

Lightfoot, Christopher S. 2014. "Recent Acquisitions, A Selection: 2012-2014." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, 72(2): p. 13.

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

This object has a provenance established to 1993 and has been on loan to, and on display at, The Metropolitan Museum of Art since 2007. Sprinkler flasks are regarded as a type of glass that was produced and used mainly in the Roman East. This example, therefore, provides important evidence for the use of multi-colored “snake-thread” trails on eastern products, which are more commonly only made with trails that match the color of the vessel, whereas most of the snake-thread vessels with differently-colored trails are known in the western provinces and are specifically associated with production at Cologne in the Rhineland.

Provenance Information

Gawain McKinley, London, before 1980. Purchased by Selim Dere of Fortuna Fine Arts, New York, January 1980. Purchased by Renée E. and Robert A. Belfer from Fortuna Fine Arts, New York, on April 10, 1995. Given by Renée E. and Robert A. Belfer to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012.

Exhibition Information

The work has been on loan to, and on display at, The Metropolitan Museum of Art since April 2007.

Publication Information

Lightfoot, Christopher S. 2014. Ennion: Master of Roman Glass. p. 34, fig. 24, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Lightfoot, Christopher S. 2014. "Recent Acquisitions, A Selection: 2012-2014." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, 72(2): p. 13.

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

This object has a provenance established to 1980 and has been on loan to, and on display at, The Metropolitan Museum of Art since 2007. This large amphora is an exceptional and striking example of early Roman blown glassware. Without exact parallels on which to draw, it is difficult to be certain about its date, but the shape and color of the amphora point to the Julio-Claudian period. There is nothing in The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection that is closely comparable to this remarkable amphora.

Provenance Information

Acquired by Renée E. and Robert A. Belfer as a pair from Gawain McKinley, London, before 1996. Given by Renée E. and Robert A. Belfer to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012.

Exhibition Information

The work has been on loan to, and on display at, The Metropolitan Museum of Art since April 2007.

Publication Information

Lightfoot, Christopher S. 2014. "Recent Acquisitions, A Selection: 2012-2014." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, 72(2): p. 13.

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

This object has a provenance established to 1996 and has been loan to, and on display at, The Metropolitan Museum of Art since 2007. The preservation of a matching pair of ancient glass vessels is extremely unusual and fortuitous. Their shape and so-called “blobbed” decoration make these two drinking cups especially attractive. The Metropolitan Museum of Art does not have any other examples of the “blobbed” technique; this example is exceptional for its beauty, importance and presentation.

Provenance Information

Collection of Jean-Hubert Demeulenaere, Paris, until 1985; sold at Hôtel Drouot Paris, June 3-4, 1985, lot 80. Sold by Fouat Alouf, Beirut, Lebanon, to S. Aboutaam, circa 1985; with Phoenix Ancient Art, New York and Geneva, until 1996. Acquired by Renée E. and Robert A. Belfer from Phoenix Ancient Art on August 2, 1996. Given by Renée E. and Robert A. Belfer to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012.

Exhibition Information

The work was exhibited in connection with the Hôtel Drouot sale in 1985. The work has been on loan to, and on display at, the Metropolitan Museum of Art since April 2007.

Publication Information

Verres Antiques et de l’Islam, 34, lot 80 (Hôtel Drouot Paris sale catalog, 3-4 June 1985).

Lightfoot, Christopher S. 2014. Ennion: Master of Roman Glass. p. 41, fig. 29, p. 42, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Lightfoot, Christopher S. 2014. "Recent Acquisitions, A Selection: 2012-2014." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, 72(2): p. 13.

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

This object was published in 1985 as part of a sale in Paris. It has been on loan to, and on display at, The Metropolitan Museum of Art since 2007. Cast ribbed bowls form a distinctive type of Roman glassware, representing the final flowering of luxury cast glass tableware before the industry came to be dominated by blown vessels. They are known from throughout the Roman world, as well as beyond. This one is a particularly large and well-executed example and represents the best of its type in splendid condition. The Metropolitan Museum of Art does not own any other bowl of this size, shape, or quality.

Provenance Information

1970s, European private collection; [until 1997, with Phoenix Ancient Art S.A., New York and Geneva, Switzerland]; 1997, purchased by Robert A. and Renee E. Belfer from Phoenix Ancient Art S.A.; 1997-2012, collection of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Belfer, New York; acquired in 2012, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Belfer.

Exhibition Information

Exhibited beginning February 2010 in The Metropolitan Museum of Art Hellenistic Treasury, Gallery 163. Delivered to the Museum for study purposes in 2007.

Publication Information

Lightfoot, Christopher S. 2014. "Recent Acquisitions, A Selection: 2012-2014." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, 72(2): p. 13.

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

This object has a provenance established to at least 1997 and has been on display at the Metropolitan Museum since 2010. This impressive jug is one of the largest core-formed vessels known and, apart from its size, it is set apart from the other oinochoai by its unusual decorative features – the circular blobs on the shoulder, the festoon pattern of the trails on the body, and the appliqué at the base of the handle.

Provenance Information

Private collection, Europe. Purchased by the Mansour Gallery, London, England, late 1980s. Purchased by Renée E. and Robert A. Belfer from the Mansour Gallery, circa 1990. Given by Renée E. and Robert A. Belfer to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012.

Exhibition Information

The work has been on loan to, and on display at, The Metropolitan of Art since April 2007.

Publication Information

Lightfoot, Christopher S. 2014. "Recent Acquisitions, A Selection: 2012-2014." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, 72(2): p. 13.

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

This object has a provenance established to 1990 and has been on loan to, and on display at, The Metropolitan Museum of Art since 2007. This is a rare example of a rectangular, colorless serving dish belonging to a type of cast luxury tableware that remained popular even after the invention of glassblowing. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Greek and Roman collection does not include a comparable complete dish. It is a remarkable example in terms of its quality and state of preservation.