Introduction
Over the course of the semester, we have looked at an extensive number of works of Greek art as well as how the art has changed over time and studied those major themes. During our studies, it has become apparent that of the works we looked at, a good number of them have been displaced from their original place of origin. We have taken time to look at the illicit trade of famous works of pottery, such as the Euphronios Krater. We have also looked at the immoral removal of such wondrous art as the Elgin Marbles. These issues of illicit and immoral removal of Greek art have brought up the question of what should be done with these pieces in terms of being returned to their native nation. That question was the driving force behind my research. I have chosen to look into how the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) has come into possession of these works of art. After researching the Euphronios Krater and the illicit art smuggling ring that it was involved in, I was wondering if I could trace any sort of illicit dealing of art back to the AIC. During my research for this project, I ran into a few roadblocks as far as finding the exact origin of the pieces and how they ultimately made their way into the AIC. Eventually, I found a number of pieces that were all linked to the same few people who were responsible for starting the collection at the AIC. Charles Hutchinson and Martin Ryerson were the two gentlemen that I found who fell into this category. These two men were on the Board of Trustees of the AIC when it was first started in the 1880s. From what I have gathered, these two men went to various art auctions and bought the pieces of art that are now stored and displayed at the institute. Of the 5 pieces included, 4 of them were acquired ethically under Ryerson and Hutchinson. These 4 works are the Ampersand Painter’s Pyxis, the Chicago Painter’s Stamnos, the Reed Painter’s Lekythos, and the Ixion Painter’s Amphora. I was shocked to find that the last remaining piece, the two griffin heads, was part of an illicit trade deal. The piece was bought from Michael Ward and as far as I know, it is still on display in the Institute. Upon investigating this issue further, I found that Michael Ward was put on trial earlier this year and the works that he was responsible for stealing will be returned to their rightful owners
Ampersand Painter Pyxis
580-570 BC, Corinth
The first piece that I have chosen to include is that of the Ampersand Painter. The main reason for including this work was due to the artist’s name. I found it interesting that this artist is identified not by his real name, but rather by the way that his works of art were styled. The Ampersand Painter got his name from the ampersand that he includes in his paintings, often on the tail of a sphynx. This vase is believed to originate from Corinth and we can confirm that from the light-colored clay that the region is associated with. Corinth experienced lots of trade as it was located near the coast. This is why we see animals that we typically associate with Egypt such as the sphynx. Little is known about how this piece got to the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC). From the museum's website, I was able to find that this piece has been in the museum since 1905. Before that, this piece was part of a private French collection and sold to Charles Hutchinson and Martin Ryerson. These two men are accredited for being greatly responsible for the beginning of the Collection that the AIC has as they donated lots of art. The two men were on the Board of Trustees for the museum. Back to the piece, 14 other works by the Ampersand Painter were recovered. These pieces were found throughout Greece and in Italy. Not much more is known about how they have gotten to different collectors (Moon, 23).
Chicago Painter Stamnos
450 BC, Athens
The next work that I have chosen is a Stamnos by the Chicago Painter. The motive for choosing this piece is similar to that of the previous work. I found the name of the artist interesting. I understand that the names of these Greek potters and painters have mainly been lost except for the exceptional ones, but naming someone after the museum that holds their work seems a little pretentious and disrespectful to the artist. I think it would be more fitting to have the name related to a work that the Chicago Painter had created. From what I have researched, the Chicago Painter is known for creating works with calm and serene compositions. We see one of those works above with women doing something that relates to wine as his works reference the cult of Dionysus (L.D.C). From what we have gathered, there are lots of red-figure vases such as this one throughout the US with there being large collections in Boston and New York. It is believed that this specific piece was donated by Charles Hutchinson and Martin Ryerson after they purchased it in Naples, Italy. As I mentioned before, these two men played a great role in starting up the museum's original collection (Rich). This piece also contains its original lid, which is a rarity among ancient vases. This leads me to believe that there was no illicit trade involved in the acquisition of this piece, but I cannot say that for certain.
Pair of Protomes Depicting the Forepart of a Griffin
625 - 675 BC, Samos
The next piece that I wanted to include was this pair of protomes which depict the forepart of a griffin. I chose to include this because we did not talk a whole lot about bronze pieces and this one caught my attention. The artist of this piece is unknown but we do know that these griffins were part of a votive offering. Greece has many sacred sites where people can come and offer gifts to the gods. It is believed that this piece was found and the Heraoin in Samos as a gift to Hera, Zeus’s wife. Gifts would vary in size and material and upon doing research I found that this was part of a cauldron and these two griffins were bolted on and acted as handles for it. There are rivet markings at the base of the necks which depict that. That being said, we can infer that these gifts were given by a fairly wealthy person or family. Aside from the art being unique, another reason that I chose this work was because of its background on how it got to the AIC. The museum site declares that this belonged to Fritz and Harriet Kreisler. Looking deeper I found that Fritz was a famous musician and I questioned why someone such as a musician would have a piece of ancient Greek art. The AIC site also mentions someone by the name of Michael Ward who sold it to the Institute in 1994. I found out that Michael Ward was an illicit antiquities dealer. I found an article that talks about his antics. He was “charged with criminal facilitation in the fourth degree, a misdemeanor, according to papers filed in New York State Supreme Court. The District Attorney determined that all 40 of the objects listed in the charges were stolen from their respective countries of origin” (Kinsella). That being said, I am curious to see what will happen to this work at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Reed Painter Lekythos
410 - 400 BC, Athens
The next piece that I have is a lekythos which was created by the Reed painted. Again, I chose this work because we have not covered works like this in class and I thought that it would be interesting to look into. From what I have found, it seems as though white ground pottery was used specifically for funerary or ritual purposes. These vases were created by applying a white slip. It is thought that the purpose of this is to make the vase appear like marble, which might make the vase more valuable (Moore, 45). This style was developed in Athens and was not very popular as these vases tended to be very fragile and red-figure and black-figure pottery was much more common. In any case, this artist got his name because he often painted reeds in his works. He also painted in a sort of careless style and often painted in outlines. As far as how this piece got to the AIC, there does not seem to be any shady business going on. Once again, Martin Ryerson acquired this piece in 1892 in Paris and donated it to the Institute in 1907.
Ixion Painter Amphora
340 - 330 BC, Campania, Italy
The final work that I have chosen to include is this Amphora by the Ixion Painter. I have not heard of Ixion before so after researching I have found that it is a myth about the King of the Lapiths and his antics. He was attracted to Hera, Zeus’s wife and he was tricked into making love to a cloud. From this act, Centaurus was born and he was the creator of the centaurs. As punishment for his disrespectful antics, he was bound to a wheel of fire in the underworld. As far as the journey of this work, it is one that the AIC should be proud of having. I have found that this is one of the earliest pieces of art in the museum's collection. It is significant because it shows different art conservation techniques over three centuries. It had arrived at the Art Institute of Chicago broken in many pieces. In the end, this piece was sold to the AIC in 1889 by August Mele in Naples, Italy (Blickman, 202)
References
Blickman, Daniel R. “The Myth of Ixion and Pollution for Homicide in Archaic Greece.” The Classical Journal, vol. 81, no. 3, 1986, pp. 193–208. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3297229. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.
Kinsella, Eileen. “Established New York Dealer Revealed as Antiquities Trafficker in Ongoing U.S. Probe to Identify and Return Stolen Cultural Artifacts.” Artnet News, Artnet, 18 Oct. 2023, news.artnet.com/news/dealer-michael-ward-charged-by-manhattan-da-2379589#:~:text=Last%20month%2C%20Ward%20was%20charged,their%20respective%20countries%20of%20origin.
L. D. C. The Journal of Hellenic Studies, vol. 40, 1920, pp. 124–26. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/625434. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.
Moon, Warren G. “The Ampersand Painter.” Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago (1973-1982), vol. 70, no. 5, 1976, pp. 20–23. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/4113157. Accessed 23 Oct. 2023.
Moore, Mary B. “Attic Red-Figured and White-Ground Pottery.” The Athenian Agora, vol. 30, 1997, pp. iii–419. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3602014. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.
Rich, Daniel Catton. “Five Red-Figured Vases in the Art Institute of Chicago.” American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 34, no. 2, 1930, pp. 153–76. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/498536. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.