Provenance Information

By 1981, with Dr. Leo Mildenberg (lived 1913-2001), Zurich, Switzerland; Christie’s London, 26 October 2004, lot 123, unsold (in the posthumous sale of the Mildenberg collection); Mrs. Barbara S. Robinson, Cleveland, OH (2004-2023); gifted to the Cleveland Museum of Art (2023)

Exhibition Information

Animals in Ancient Art from the Leo Mildenberg Collection, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (Oct. 21 to Nov. 29, 1981); Ägypten: Augenblicke der Ewigkeit : unbekannte Schätze aus schweizer Privatbesitz, Musee D’Art d’Histoire, Geneva, Switzerland (September 1997 to January 1998) and Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig, Switzerland (March to July 1997). The uraeus is also said to have been included in Mildenberg collection exhibitions in Israel (Haifa, Jerusalem), France (Paris), and Germany (Berlin, Frankfurt, Freiburg, Hamburg, Mannheim, Munich, Tubingen).

Publication Information

Kozloff, Arielle P. Animals in Ancient Art from the Leo Mildenberg Collection. 1981. No. 15, p. 62.
Page-Gasser, Madeleine, and André Wiese. Égypte: moments d'éternité : art égyptien dans les collections privées, Suisse / Ägypten: Augenblicke der Ewigkeit : unbekannte Schätze aus schweizer Privatbesitz. Mainz: P. von Zabern, 1997. no. 136, p. 211.
Mottahedeh, Patricia Erhart, and Gisela Zahlhaas. Out of Noah's ark: animals in ancient art from the Leo Mildenberg collection / Aus Noahs Arche : Tierbilder der Sammlung Mildenberg aus fünf Jahrtausenden. Mainz: P. von Zabern, 1997. cat. 15.
Christie, Manson & Woods. A Peaceable Kingdom: The Leo Mildenberg Collection of Ancient Animals. London: Christie's, 2004. no. 123.

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 object qualifies for the exception to 1970 for three reasons. First, it was in the well-known collection of Leo Mildenberg for at least two decades, during which time it was exhibited at the Cleveland Museum of Art as well as in Israel (Haifa, Jerusalem), France (Paris), Germany (Berlin, Frankfurt, Freiburg, Hamburg, Mannheim, Munich, Tubingen), and Switzerland (Basel, Geneva). Second, during this time, it was included in numerous exhibition catalogues, from 1981 in Cleveland to 2004 at Christie’s in London. Finally, this object meets the exception as a gift or bequest expected prior to 2008. This is confirmed by a letter from the attorney of Barbara S. Robinson (now in museum files) attesting to Mrs. Robinson’s intent, memorialized in estate planning documents by 2007, to donate her collection of antiquities to the Cleveland Museum of Art following her death. This constitutes the first separately made uraeus in the CMA collection, joining numerous representations of this important symbol of royal or divine power in ancient Egypt.

Provenance Information

David Stuart Galleries [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; John G. Bourne, 1989, by purchase; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 2017.

Exhibition Information

No known exhibitions.

Publication Information

Reents-Budet, Dorie. Exploring art of the ancient Americas: The John Bourne Collection. Baltimore: Walters Art Museum, 2012.

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

Communications between the Walters Art Museum and the donor of this promised gift began in April 2005.

Provenance Information

David Stuart Galleries [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; John G. Bourne, 1989, by purchase; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 2017.

Exhibition Information

No known exhibitions.

Publication Information

Reents-Budet, Dorie. Exploring art of the ancient Americas: The John Bourne Collection. Baltimore: Walters Art Museum, 2012.

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

Communications between the Walters Art Museum and the donor of this promised gift began in April 2005.

Provenance Information

Throckmorton Fine Art, New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; John G. Bourne, September 18, 1995, by purchase; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 2017.

Exhibition Information

No known exhibitions.

Publication Information

Reents-Budet, Dorie. Exploring art of the ancient Americas: The John Bourne Collection. Baltimore: Walters Art Museum, 2012.

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

Communications between the Walters Art Museum and the donor of this promised gift began in April 2005.

Provenance Information

Throckmorton Fine Art, New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; John G. Bourne, August 31, 1998, by purchase; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 2017.

Exhibition Information

No known exhibitions.

Publication Information

Reents-Budet, Dorie. Exploring art of the ancient Americas: The John Bourne Collection. Baltimore: Walters Art Museum, 2012.

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

Communications between the Walters Art Museum and the donor of this gift began in April 2005.

Provenance Information

Throckmorton Fine Art, New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; John G. Bourne, September 18, 1995, by purchase; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 2017.

Exhibition Information

No known exhibitions.

Publication Information

Reents-Budet, Dorie. Exploring art of the ancient Americas: The John Bourne Collection. Baltimore: Walters Art Museum, 2012.

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

Communications between the Walters Art Museum and the donor of this promised gift began in April 2005.

Provenance Information

Throckmorton Fine Art, New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; John G. Bourne, June 10, 1996, by purchase; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 2017.

Exhibition Information

No known exhibitions.

Publication Information

Reents-Budet, Dorie. Exploring art of the ancient Americas: The John Bourne Collection. Baltimore: Walters Art Museum, 2012.

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

Communications between the Walters Art Museum and the donor of this promised gift began in April 2005.

Provenance Information

Ron Messick Fine Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; John G. Bourne, [date of acquisition unknown] by purchase; given to Walters Art Museum, 2013.

Exhibition Information

No known exhibitions.

Publication Information

Reents-Budet, Dorie. Exploring art of the ancient Americas: The John Bourne Collection. Baltimore: Walters Art Museum, 2012.

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

Communications between the Walters Art Museum and the donor of thispromised gift began in April 2005.

Provenance Information

c. 1970s in the collection of Jerry L. Abramson, Dallas, Texas; lent to the Dallas Museum of Art since July 2005; given to DMA by Mr. Abramson's estate (accession date: January 30, 2009).

Exhibition Information

East Meets West, DMA, August 7 to November 27, 2005. DMA from July 2006 through the present.

Publication Information

N/A

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 work was on long-term loan to the DMA beginning in July 2005, prior to its acquisition in 2009.The work has been publicly exhibited in 2005 and continuously since July 2006. Although the collector from whose estate the DMA acquired this work began collecting in the 1960s or '70s, the DMA has been unable to substantiate the precise date of acquisition because of the death of the former owner. The ancient Mediterranean engraved gemstones and intaglio rings, beads, amulets, and this coin, all given by this donor or his estate, complement the DMA's collection of ancient Etruscan, Greek, and Roman gold jewelry. This work is the only ancient Mediterranean coin in the DMA's collection.

Provenance Information

Purchased by Harlan J. Berk of Chicago, Illinois from Gorny and Mosch, Munich, Germany, Auction 164, March 17, 2008, lot 235; purchased by the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois in 2008.

Exhibition Information

The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, October 3, 2008-present.

Publication Information

The Art Institute of Chicago, Annual Report 2008-2009 (posted on AIC web site), p. 20.

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 cumulative facts and circumstances known to the Art Institute of Chicago at the time of the acquisition allowed it to make an informed judgment to acquire the object. The date and circumstances of this coin’s discovery are not known. Ancient coins circulated widely and have been found within the present-day borders of many countries. Mr. Berk states that in approximately 1996, twelve years prior to his actual acquisition of the coin, a Pennsylvania dealer acting on behalf of an undisclosed collector offered to sell the same coin to him. In addition, this acquisition furthers the representation of the artistic achievements of all civilizations in art museums because it is a very early example of a coin bearing a profile portrait.