Provenance Information

Reportedly acquired from Paul Munro-Walker, Bornemouth, Dorset, Great Britain, by Virgilo Constantino Vecchi, Vecchi & Sons, London, in the 1960s; sold to Private Collector, Switzerland, 1972; purchased from Private Collector, Switzerland, through dealer Plektron Fine Arts A. G., Zurich, by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2017.

Exhibition Information

The cuirass was on long-term loan to, and on display at, The Museum of Art and History, Geneva, Switzerland, from 2001 to 2015. The helmet was on loan to the Glyptothek Museum, Munich, Germany, from 2005 to 2015.

Publication Information

Unpublished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 provenance to 1972 when it was acquired by a private collector in Switzerland who sold the work to the Metropolitan Museum. It has provenance reported to the late 1960s but the Metropolitan Museum has been unable to independently verify that information. The cuirass was on loan to the Museum of Art and History, Geneva, Switzerland, from 2001 to 2015. The helmet was on loan to the Glyptothek Museum, Munich, Germany from 2005 to 2015.
This is a one of the most distinctive and best preserved Etruscan panoplies surviving from the 5th century B.C. It would be the only complete or near-complete Etruscan armor in the Metropolitan Museum's collection. It is comprised of an exceptional helmet, a finely modeled muscle cuirass, and a single greave. The ensemble is remarkable for its topological singularities, ornamentation in silver, and overall state of preservation. Noteworthy features on the helmet include an applied silver gorgon and a bronze crest representing Pegasus. The breastplate and backplate stand out for the sensitive sculptural treatment of the anatomy.

Provenance Information

April 9, 2014, anonymous sale, Bonhams, New York, lot 96, to Macklowe Gallery, New York; 2015, sold by Macklowe Gallery to the MFA. (Accession Date: February 25, 2015)

Exhibition Information

None known.

Publication Information

None known.

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 coins could have been discovered in any number of Mediterranean countries. They were incorporated into the necklace in the 1980s; we lack information about their earlier history.

Provenance Information

Edith J. Spink (1921–2011), St. Louis, MO; Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Edith J. and C. C. Johnson Spink

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

In a letter dated August 16, 1988, C.C. Johnson Spink wrote to a Hong Kong dealer explaining that his purchase was “destined for the St. Louis Art Museum” and that “the collection…will be given to the Museum at some future date.” This object was part of a collection of 215 works of Chinese or Japanese origin, collected by C. C. Johnson Spink and Edith J. Spink from the 1970s through the 1990s. The Museum formally received the collection by bequest in 2014.

Provenance Information

Kaikodo, New York, NY; Edith J. Spink (1921–2011), St. Louis, MO, USA, purchased from Kaikodo; 2014 Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Edith J. and C. C. Johnson Spink

Exhibition Information

None known.

Publication Information

"A Garden Show," Kaikodo Journal (New York: Kaikodo, 1998), catalogue number 57.

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

In a letter dated August 16, 1988, C.C. Johnson Spink wrote to a Hong Kong dealer explaining that his purchase was “destined for the St. Louis Art Museum” and that “the collection…will be given to the Museum at some future date.” This object was part of a collection of 215 works of Chinese or Japanese origin, collected by C. C. Johnson Spink and Edith J. Spink from the 1970s through the 1990s. The Museum formally received the collection by bequest in 2014.

Provenance Information

About 1990, purchased in Israel from a licensed dealer by Dr. Stephen N. Gerson, Lexington, MA; 2009, with Gemini, LLC; January 10, 2010, Gemini sale, auction 6, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York, lot 270, sold to the MFA. (Accession Date: February 24, 2010)

Exhibition Information

None known.

Publication Information

Y. Meshorer, Otsar Matbeot Ha-Yehudim [Hebrew] (1997), pl. 3.25; Y. Meshorer, A Treasury of Jewish Coins (2001), pl. 3.24.

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 date and circumstances of the coin’s discovery are not known. The coin was struck around the middle of the fourth century B.C., perhaps in the vicinity of Jerusalem, on the authority of Yehexqio (Hezekiah), a governor of Judaea under Persian rule. The coin was formerly in the collection of Dr. Stephen Gerson, who certifies that it was purchased by him from a licensed dealer in Israel and was exported in full compliance with Israeli law. The coin was published by Ya’akov Meshorer (1935-2004), Professor of Numismatics at Hebrew University, Chief Curator for Archaeology at the Israel Museum, and a member of Israel’s Archaeological Council (see Publication History below). Prior to acquiring the coin, the MFA conferred with the Numismatic Department of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).

Provenance Information

Jane Ayer Scott, Newton MA (by 2008), by inheritance; to her husband Wellington F. Scott III, (2008-2010), gift; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2010.

Exhibition Information

No information available

Publication Information

No information 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

Fourth century Persian sigloi have been found in large numbers. They show different styles and different reverses and have been attributed by scholars to a variety of mints. They circulated all over the western part of the Persian Empire and tend to be inadequately illustrated in sales catalogues making it difficult to trace a particular specimen.

Provenance Information

A.D.M. collection, Switzerland. May 12, 2004, anonymous sale (Auction 27), Numismatica Ars Classica, Zürich, Switzerland, lot 10, sold to Cornelius C. Vermeule, III (b. 1925 – d. 2008), Cambridge, MA [see note 1]; 2008, gift of Cornelius C. Vermeule III to the MFA. (Accession Date: October 22, 2008)

NOTES:
[1] Lent by Cornelius Vermeule to the MFA from 2004 until 2008 (loan no. L-T 326.2.2004).

Exhibition Information

“Games for the Gods: The Greek Athlete and the Olympic Spirit,” Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, July 21 – November 28, 2004.

Publication Information

None known.

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 date and circumstances of the coin’s discovery are not known; however, the coinage of Suessa Aurunca circulated locally, and this coin was probably found in the Campania region of Italy. Per the MFA’s 2006 agreement with the Italian Ministry of Culture, the Museum contacted Ministry representatives prior to acquiring the coin; the Ministry raised no objection to the acquisition.

Provenance Information

By 2003, Edward J. Waddell, Ltd., Frederick, MD; August, 2003, sold by Waddell to Cornelius C. Vermeule, III (b. 1925 – d. 2008), Cambridge, MA [see note 1]; 2008, gift of Vermeule to the MFA. (Accession Date: October 22, 2008)

NOTES:
[1] Lent by Cornelius Vermeule to the MFA from 2004 until 2008 (loan no. L-T 326.1.2004).

Exhibition Information

“Games for the Gods: The Greek Athlete and the Olympic Spirit,” Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, July 21 – November 28, 2004.

Publication Information

J. Herrmann and C. Kondoleon, Games For the Gods (exh. cat., MFA, Boston, 2004), pp. 112, 180, fig. 80.

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 date and circumstances of the coin’s discovery are not known, but a Roman Republican silver denarius of this type is most likely to have been found in Italy. Per the MFA’s 2006 agreement with the Italian Ministry of Culture, the Museum contacted Ministry representatives prior to acquiring the coin; the Ministry raised no objection to the acquisition.