Provenance Information

With J.R. Ogden and Sons, Ltd., London, England, 1982. Purchased by MCCM from Christie's New York, December 8, 2005, lot 28.

Exhibition Information

From Pharaohs to Emperors: New Egyptian and Classical Antiquities at Emory, Michael C. Carlos Museum, January 14 - April 2, 2006
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, 2006 - March 13, 2018
MCCM Permanent Collection Gallery, June 4, 2018 - Present

Publication Information

Christie's New York, Ancient Jewelry (Thursday, December 8, 2005), 15, lot 28.

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

Acquired by museum in 2005.

Provenance Information

With Ursula Becchina [Palladion Antike Kunst], Basel, Switzerland, 1976. Ex private collection, Switzerland. Purchased by MCCM from Palladion.

Exhibition Information

MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, September 2004 - September 6, 2013

Publication Information

Palladion Antike Kunst, Katalog 1976, 94-95, number 114.

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

Acquired by museum in 2003.

Provenance Information

Sale, CNG Triton VII, New York, January 13–14, 2004, lot 1031; sold to Ben Lee Damsky,January 13–14, 2004 (on loan as a promised gift to the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn., from 2008–23); given to the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn., 2023

Exhibition Information

N/A

Publication Information

N/A

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

N/D

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

N/A

Provenance Information

Sale, J. Hirsch, Munich, May 11–13, 1911, lot 933. Sale, Adolph Hess Nachfolger, Frankfurt, November 28, 1912, lot 288. Sale , J. Schulman, Amsterdam, March 5, 1923, lot 1034 . Robert Jameson (1861–1942), London. Giuseppe Mazzini (1883–1961). Leo Biaggi de Blasys (1906–-1979), probably Italy. Sale, Bank Leu, Zurich, April 23, 1980, lot 273. Sale, Stack’s, New York, December 9–10, 1992, lot 3024; sold to Herb Kreindler, New Jersey, December 9–10, 1992; sold to Ben Lee Damsky, 1992 (on loan as a promised gift to the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn., 2008–23); given to the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn., 2023

Exhibition Information

N/A

Publication Information

N/A

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

N/D

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

N/A

Provenance Information

Sale, Numismatics Ars Classica, Zurich, June 26, 2003, lot 1802; sold to Ben Lee Damsky, June 26, 2003 (on loan as a promised gift to the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn., 2008 –23); given to the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn., 2023

Exhibition Information

N/A

Publication Information

N/A

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

N/D

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

N/A

Provenance Information

Collection of Dr. Dean Crocker, United States [a collection formed prior to 1970, no. 52.1978] [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Jean-Philippe Mariaud DeSerres, Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Mele Gallery, Westport, Connecticut, ca. 2002, by exchange; Walters Art Museum, 2008, by purchase.

Exhibition Information

None known

Publication Information

Sharon E. Thompson, Tut: Jewelry Making in the Days of the Pharaoh (Interweave Press: Loveland, CO 2010), p. 25

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 was believed to be out of its country of modern discovery prior to 1970. However, the Walters no longer can verify this so research is ongoing.

Provenance Information

With Harlan J. Berk, Ltd., Chicago, Illinois. Purchased by MCCM from Mousa Khouli (aka Morris Khouli) [Palmyra Heritage Gallery], New York, New York.

Exhibition Information

Michael C. Carlos Museum Morgens West Foundation Galleries of Ancient Near Eastern Art, November 10, 2018 - Present

Publication Information

To our knowledge, this object has never been published.

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 Carlos continues to conduct provenance research on this and all objects in our collection.

Provenance Information

Sale, Classical Numismatic Group, Lancaster, Penn., September 18, 2001, lot 1462; sold to private collection, California, September 18, 2001. Possibly Franz Fueg (1921–2019), Switzerland [see note 1]. Private collection, Eastern Europe [see note 2] [sale, Classical Numismatic Group, Lancaster, Penn., January 16, 2002, lot 2296 (unsold)]. Sale, Freeman and Sear, Los Angeles, California, about 2003; sold to the Rust Collection, California, about 2003s [see note 3]; sale, Classical Numismatic Group, New York, January 10, 2023, lot 946; sold to the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn., 2023

Note 1: Published in Fueg (2007), which includes some coins from his collection, it is uncertain whether this coin was one owned by him.

Note 2: Email from CNG to the Gallery, January 17, 2023, copy in accession file

Note 3: Email from CNG to the Gallery, January 17, 2023, copy in accession file

Exhibition Information

N/A

Publication Information

N/A

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

N/D

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

N/A

Provenance Information

(Enrique Vargas-Alfaro) [1915-2008], San Jose, Costa Rica and Atlanta, GA; Purchased by Frederick R. [1928-2007] and Jan Mayer, Denver, CO, 1983 [1]; Gifted to the Denver Art Museum, 2017
[1] On loan to the Denver Art Museum, 1993

Exhibition Information

None known

Publication Information

None known

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

The Mayer collection of Costa Rican art distinguishes itself from other national and international collections for the depth and breadth of cultural and artistic styles represented therein. Assembled beginning in 1966, the objects represent the developmental arc of Costa Rican ceramics, metallurgy and stone carving and stands as the most comprehensive collection of Central American material culture outside of the region. Mr. and Mrs. Mayer began lending works in this gift to the Denver Art Museum in 1992 and since loan of this work in 1993, it has been on continuous display until 2017 in the Art of the Ancient Americas galleries. This gift complements the collection of Costa Rican material, also gifted by Mr. and Mrs. Mayer with the express purpose that the objects remain together in order for scholars to appreciate fully the development of Central American art, allow work to be put in the public domain, and facilitate further research.

Provenance Information

By 2012, Anonymous Donor, New York; [1] Gift to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), Richmond, Virginia, September 19, 2012. [2]

[1] Per the donor, the objects were purchased from a variety of dealers in the years 1983-1989. The donor reports that they were purchasing from the following dealers within this time frame, although this cannot be further verified: Jack Ogden, London; Ariadne Galleries, New York; Mele Galleries, New York; Harmer-Rooke Galleries, New York; Pyramide Galleries, Paris.

[2] Information in VMFA Curatorial and Registration files.

Exhibition Information

No information is currently available.

Publication Information

No information is currently available.

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 donor of this object acquired a number of works of ancient jewelry and other small objects on the art market between ca. 1983 and ca. 1989. VMFA decided to make an exception to the AAMD guidelines in order to bring these objects into a free, publicly accessible, educational institution, where they could be studied, displayed and publicized. The works represent a broad sampling of gems, encompassing a representative collection of intaglios spanning the chronology and cultures of the Mediterranean. The donor of this object had made donations to the VMFA since 1982.