Diameter: 22 1/4 in. (56.515 cm)
Object Number: 135.2012.3
Deaccession Criteria: Restitution/Returned to rightful owner: the work has been legally requested for restitution.
Gianfranco Becchina is a Sicilian antiquities dealer who has been convicted in Italy of dealing in stolen antiquities. Becchina started dealing in antiquities from his premises in Basel, Switzerland, in the 1970s. In May 2002, the Carabinieri, in collaboration with the Swiss police, raided his storage facilities in Basel, recovering thousands of objects in various stages of restorations, photographs of artifacts, and other documents. In April 2012 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement seized two works that were associated with the investigation of Becchina. According to the Carabinieri, Gianfranco Becchina has been identified as one of the most prolific known traffickers of Italian cultural heritage, and all property that has been shown to have been illicitly trafficked by Becchina is subject to confiscation.
PURCHASE INFORMATION: Dealer: Ward & Co.
PROVENANCE SUPPLIED: Swiss private collection
PUBLISHED REFERENCES:
- Dallas Museum of Art: Year in Review 2005–2006, annual report, p. 32 (ill.).
EXHIBITION HISTORY:
- DMA collection galleries, March 2006–present
PROPOSED METHOD OF DISPOSAL: Long-term loan to DMA, if approved by Italian government; eventual return to Italy
CRITERIA FOR DEACCESSIONING: A request from the Italian government for restitution, with compelling evidence, including photographs, that object was looted and/or illegally exported
EVIDENCE:
Evidence including photographs confiscated by the Carabinieri from Becchina’s warehouses in Basel, Switzerland