The Lost Chalice: The Epic Hunt for a Priceless Masterpiece
by: Vernon Silver
Published by: William Morrow
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Reviewed by Sarah Nagle
Finding and selling antiquities has for centuries been both an illicit and lucrative undertaking. Museums worldwide possess many artistic masterpieces from other cultures, and have recently had to deal with the legal and ethical issues of such treasures. The circuitous histories of these artifacts rival any fictional adventure in terms of mystery and adventure.
In The Lost Chalice, Vernon Silver, Oxford-trained archaeologist, recounts the 2500-year history of a rare Greek chalice whose larger “twin” vase was displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for over 30 years. Created and signed by the renowned Greek potter Euphronios, it lay for centuries in an Etruscan tomb. The chalice’s history began its modern chapter when it was unearthed by illicit treasure hunters in tombs north of Rome.
Purchased by a Hollywood producer, later acquired by one of the billionaire Hunt brothers, and then put up for auction after the owner suffered a reversal of fortune, the chalice surfaced at Sotheby’s NYC in 1990. It was then purchased by an “unknown” in the art world and promptly disappeared again.
Silver leaves no antiquity unturned in his investigation of:
— how this rare chalice was rediscovered in Italy,
— how it passed through the shadowy antiquities market in illicit and increasingly more lucrative transactions in Europe and the United States,
— how it came to be auctioned in 1990,
— how it ironically came to grief at the hands of Swiss police who had confiscated it.
Along with the larger vase owned by the Met, which has since been repatriated in a landmark agreement, it now rests in Italy, close to where it was both lost and found.
If there is one fault with Silver’s reporting, it is in the detailed inclusion of similar antiquities and their respective paths to museums and private collectors; the various chalices and vases – also referred to at times by the Greek terms kylix and krater – can become blurred to the reader. But there is no fault with the author’s knowledge, tenacity, and passion in bringing this fascinating story to light.
The Lost Chalice is a story of ancient treasure spanning 2500 years and two continents.
Armchair Interviews says: A most interesting read.
Author’s Web site: http://www.VernonSilver.com
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