Object Description

Apulian Fish-plate

Apulian fish-plate attributed to the Darius Painter workshop, depicting three fish and a flounder swimming around a central depression with a rosette , scrolls around exterior rim, the decoration enriched with white paint, shells in the field. 

Identification Date

01 Oct 2019

Identification Location

Royal-Athena Galleries, New York

Artefact History

Before 1983

One image, depicting the same fish-plate, suggest that the antiquities dealer Gianfranco Becchina was in possession of this artefact. The image was discovered by Tsirogiannis in the archive confiscated from the antiquities dealer Gianfranco Becchina.

1983

On May 17, 1983, the fish-plate was consigned by Becchina at the Sotheby’s antiquities auction in London, as lot 262. It was sold for £700 and acquired by Jerome Eisenberg, owner of the Royal-Athena Galleries, New York. 

October 2019

The fish-plate appeared in the website of the Royal-Athena Galleries, with the provenance ‘J. M. E. collection, New York, acquired at Sotheby’s, London, May 1983’. Tsirogiannis identifies the fish-plate in October 2019, but it was already appearing as ‘SOLD’ on the website of Royal-Athena Galleries. In 2021 publishes an article referring also to this case (Tsirogiannis 2021).

Artefact Status

2020

Unknown. The identity of the person who purchased this fish-plate before October 2019 is not known and Royal-Athena Galleries was permanently closed in October 2020 announcing that the remaining artefacts were transferred to ‘Hixenbaugh Ancient Art’.