Christie’s Withdraws Ancient Greek Vases Over Provenance Concerns
Christie’s recently withdrew four Greek vases from an auction in New York following allegations that they had connections to Gianfranco Becchina, an Italian dealer convicted of art trafficking in 2011. The vases, estimated to fetch between $50,000 and $71,000, were linked to Becchina by archaeologist Christos Tsirogiannis.
Tsirogiannis found documents in Becchina’s seized archive indicating that three vases had been consigned to Christie’s under a false name for a 1979 auction. One vase, a lekythos oil jar from the 6th century BCE, had apparent damages not disclosed in Christie’s catalogue.
Christie’s denied knowingly putting objects with connections to Becchina on the market, stating that they withdrew the works for further research after learning of the potential connection. Calls have been made to make seized archives of convicted dealers more accessible for provenance research to avoid situations like this in the future.
Source
Cillian O’Rourke, studied at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, Ireland, where he majored in Visual Communication. His work spans graphic design, illustration, and branding, with a distinct minimalist style that emphasizes simplicity and impact. Cillian has collaborated with international brands and runs his own design studio focusing on creative solutions for startups.