Problematic provenance and understanding restorations

Abstract This article investigates the origins, problematic attribution and authenticity of a kylix acquired by the Menil Collection in 1987. It was purchased from Robin Symes Ltd., a London-based gallery, with an attribution to the vase painter Epiktetos (active 520–490 bce). Robin Symes was afterwards exposed as a dealer in illegally obtained antiquities and, as a result of litigation, access to the gallery’s records is currently unobtainable, hindering provenance research. Notations on historical photographs from the gallery, shared with the Menil Collection before purchase, suggest that the kylix was in the gallery’s hands by 1968, before the USA signed the 1970 UNESCO convention on the illicit trade in cultural property, though this does not obviate the problem of its origins. During the course of the present investigation, in fact, doubts about the authenticity of the object have arisen. Although the sale was agreed on condition that restoration of the kylix had been limited to rejoined breaks, the object displays evidence of extensive intervention and may even be a pastiche or primarily a modern creation with some ancient elements. This essay highlights the complexities of provenance research and the necessity of different approaches to establishing provenance. It also emphasizes how details that might be considered insignificant can sometimes play a pivotal role in elucidating the history of an object.