YPPO: Two vases were illegally exported but returned to Greece

Two Attic marble funerary vessels, a lekythos and a bath-carrier from the 4th BC, have returned to Athens, after the successful outcome of their long-term claim by the Greek State. The marble lykyths and baths appear from the late 5th century and throughout the 4th century. e.g. in ancient Attic cemeteries, as grave markers, set in family burial plots. They are exclusively products of the Attic marble sculpture workshops. Both vessels returned from Basel date to the 4th century. e.g..

Interpol identified the vases that had been put up for sale

In October 2017 the Greek office of Interpol notified the Directorate of Documentation and Protection of Cultural Property that the tomb vases in question had been put up for sale at the Frieze Masters exhibition in London by the Swiss art dealer JD. C., also sending relevant photographic material that had come to her knowledge. The Directorate found that these were the same Greek antiquities that had been seized in 2002 by the Italian and Swiss authorities in Basel, Switzerland, in the warehouses of the Italian art dealer Becchina and his wife. The vessels, after their seizure, were identified by Greek experts as being of Greek origin and the Italian authorities were informed about this. When they were spotted being sold in London, the Greek Ministry of Culture immediately requested information on the matter from the Italian Ministry of Culture. The response of the Italian authorities revealed that the two antiquities had been returned to the Italian art dealer in Basel in March 2014, following a ruling by the Court of Rome in 2011, as they were found not to be of Italian origin.

The Directorate for Documentation and Protection of Cultural Property requested the assistance of Interpol and the Athens Prosecutor’s Office, so that a request for judicial assistance could be submitted to the Swiss authorities regarding the confiscation and return of the two vases to Greece as proceeds of crime. In November 2017, the two antiquities were confiscated on behalf of the Greek State by the Prosecutor’s Office of the Canton of Basel, where they remained until their final return to the Greek State on 27/06/2024.

The Greek government requests the summons of those involved

During the claim of the antiquities, six requests for judicial assistance had to be submitted, from the beginning of 2018 until today, by the Athens Prosecutor’s Office, with which the Greek public asked the Swiss authorities, in addition to the repatriation of the two vases and the summons of the involved to provide explanations for the criminal offenses being investigated. At the same time, an autopsy and examination of the objects was carried out at the Prosecutor’s Office in Basel by an archaeologist from the Directorate of Documentation and Protection of Cultural Properties and a detailed expert report was submitted that documented beyond any doubt the Greek origin of the two monuments.

As part of the investigation carried out, it was established that the Canton of Basel, through the Collection and Bankruptcy Service, had sold the two Greek monuments in February 2017, in order to collect debts from the judicial liquidation of the costs of the criminal proceedings that had been held in Switzerland against the Italian art dealer G.Becchina and his wife. Then in October 2017 an attempt was made to resell them through the aforementioned Swiss art dealer at the Frieze Masters exhibition in London.

The repatriation of the two Attic funerary vessels was achieved through out-of-court negotiations, after the Greek State was fully satisfied. The two antiquities were repatriated and the persons involved were paid compensation and monetary satisfaction due to moral damage. This success is due to the close, continuous and excellent cooperation of the Ministry of Culture through the Directorate of Documentation and Protection of Cultural Property with attorney Ilias S. Bissia and the undivided assistance of the Athens Prosecutor’s Office and the Legal Council of the State.

With the completion of the process of the repatriation of the two marble vases, the Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni noted that “The repatriation of Greek antiquities, which have been illegally exported abroad, is a matter of national importance and a high political priority for the Ministry of Culture

What is depicted on the lekythos and the bath-carrier

The lekythos, 60 cm high, bears a relief representation of a reception between a mature robed man, the deceased, who is depicted sitting on a folding seat with a back (klimus) and stepping on a footstool, and a standing bearded warrior, who wears a helmet, tunic and anatomical chest with wings, while holding in the left hand a circular shield (τὸ ὃπλον). Behind the dead man’s seat stands a female figure, perhaps his wife, judging by the gesture typical of married couples of pulling the garment in front of the face (ἀνακάλυσις). Above the figures are engraved the names of the two men in two verses. Dimostratos in the second verse is accompanied by the name of the Attic municipality of Lakiades from which he came: Callias Dimostratos[υ] | Demostratos Lakiadis.

The basin, 54 cm high, is embossed with the typical floral decoration for vases of this type, consisting of regular club-shaped leaves, which cover 2/3 of the height of the vase and gradually converge towards the foot, double-striped around the circumference and six overlapping rows of scales. The handles were inlaid, from a separate piece of marble.

The two antiquities will be exhibited at the Archaeological Museum of Kerameikos.