Provenance Information

With Fortuna Fine Arts, Ltd., New York, New York, from at least 2001.

Exhibition Information

MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, September 2004 - May 30, 2014;
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, July 2014 - Present

Publication Information

To our knowledge, this object has never been published.

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

Gifted to the museum in 2004.

Provenance Information

Ex private collection, France, acquired late 19th-early 20th Century. With Rupert Wace Ancient Art, Ltd., London England, purchased from or with David Ghezelbash, Paris, France. Purchased by MCCM from Rupert Wace.

Exhibition Information

MCCM Permanent Collection Gallery, September 9, 2013 - April 28, 2014
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, July 2014 - April 10, 2021

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

The Carlos continues to do provenance research on this and all objects in our permanent collection.

Provenance Information

Ex coll. Laurence (1926-1995) and Cora Witten, United States, acquired from Harold Maker, New Jersey, ca. 1960.

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

Gift or bequest expected or on loan prior to 2008

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

Was gifted to the museum in 1989.

Provenance Information

Ex coll. Georges Ricard Foundation, Santa Barbara, California.

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

Donor acquired most of his collection from small French auctions in the 1970s.

Provenance Information

Ex coll. Georges Ricard Foundation, Santa Barbara, California, possibly purchased from Jean-François Mignon, Aix-en Provence, France.

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

Donor acquired most of his collection from small French auctions in the 1970s.

Provenance Information

Said to be ex coll. Moshe Saidnian, Israel, 1970. Ex coll. Joseph and Sofi Lewis, United States, purchased from David Aaron, London, England, March 29, 2012.

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

The Carlos continues to conduct provenance research on this object.

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. Michael Shubin (1950-2008), Montebello, California, acquired from Kevork Simonian [Nomis Antiquities], Van Nuys, California, August 18, 2005.

Exhibition Information

To our knowledge, these objects have never been exhibited.

Publication Information

To our knowledge, these objects have 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

This object came in as the third part of an initial gift that 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, purchased from Kevork Simonian [Nomis Antiquities], Van Nuys, California, August 18, 2005.

Exhibition Information

To our knowledge, these objects have never been exhibited.

Publication Information

To our knowledge, these objects have 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

This object came in as the third part of an initial gift that 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, purchased from Kevork Simonian [Nomis Antiquities], Van Nuys, California, August 18, 2005.

Exhibition Information

To our knowledge, these objects have never been exhibited.

Publication Information

To our knowledge, these objects have 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

This object came in as the third part of an initial gift that was accepted under the guidelines of the 2004 AAMD Report on the Acquisition of Archaeological Materials and Ancient Art as an extraordinary teaching resource.