Object Description

Faliscan Askos Rooster

Faliscan Askos in the form of a rooster. The black-glazed Askos is naturalistically modelled and it is standing on a pedestal base. The underside of the base is inscribed in sinistroverse direction. 

Identification Date

21 Nov 2014

Identification Location

Private collection of Michael Steinhardt, Manhattan, New York

Artefact History

Before 1997

One image in the archive confiscated from the antiquities dealer Giacomo Medici, depicts the askos standing on a yellow sheet spread also to form a background. A tape-measure appears next to askos.

1997

Steinhardt acquires the askos from the Aboutaam brothers, in the Geneva branch of their New York ‘Phoenix Ancient Art’ gallery, for $55,000.

21 Nov 2014

Tsirogiannis identifies the askos from an image in the Medici archive, as lot 133 at the Christie’s antiquities catalogue of a sale scheduled to take place on December 11, 2014 in New York. Four more objects were identified by Tsirogiannis in the same catalogue. Tsirogiannis notified immediately Assistant District Attorney Sharon Levin Cohen at the Southern district of New York, sending all the evidence for all five identifications.

December 2021

In December 2021, the Manhattan DA’s Office announces the seizure of 180 objects from the Steinhardt collection, including the Faliscan askos.

Artefact Status

February 2022

In December 2021, the Manhattan DA’s Office announced that the askos will be repatriated to Italy. The repatriation took place in February 2022.

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