Dear Colleagues,

The following article was published last week, describing the St. Louis
Museum of Art's plan to sponsor a sale of ancient gold jewelry and
ornaments in its Sculpture Hall on Feb. 6-8. The artifacts will be provided
by several New York area antiquities dealers, including Merrin Gallery,
Fortuna Fine Arts, and Antiquarium Ltd., with the proceeds to benefit
both the dealers and the museum. Aside from the questionable practice
of museums selling actual artworks and artifacts on behalf of the trade,
there is no indication that issues of provenience have been taken into
account in accordance with the ICOM Code and the prevailing ethical
standards of most professional organizations. In addition to the strict
policies of archaeological associations, even the Museum Store
Association has established clear guidelines against this sort of activity.
The *sale of wearable art* set a poor example and encourages the
collecting of undocumented antiquities, an activity that in so many cases
directly contributes to site looting and illicit trafficking.

In view of the Archaeological Institute of America's strong position and
the efforts it has made to educate the public and the professionals on
this issue, I would encourage list members to register their concerns for
the protection of archaeological heritage and the responsible
presentation of ancient artifacts to Dr. Sidney Goldstein, Associate
Director and Curator of Ancient and Islamic Art, St. Louis Museum of Art,
1 Fine Arts Drive, St. Louis, MO, 63110; fax 314/721-6172; email
[log in to unmask]

Claire Lyons
AIA Vice President, Professional Responsibilities
*******

St. Louis Post Dispatch Article:
>http://www.stlnet.com/
Saturday, January 24, 1998    Section: LIFESTYLE

GOOD AS GOLD
By Becky Homan, Post-Dispatch Fashion Editor
>
THEY MAY HAVE set the first gold standard - those Assyrian, Eqyptian,
Greek, Roman and Etruscan ancients who fashioned elegant rings,
earrings, bracelets and necklaces from gold.
>
Their work has endured over the centuries. Some of it even retains a
burnished, molten look that no new gold can replicate. And now, pieces
of this ancient, wearable gold are to go on sale in the St. Louis Art
Museum's Sculpture Hall, Feb. 6-8, as part of the museum's even more
important exhibit called, "Ancient Gold: The Wealth of the Thracians,"
Feb. 6-April 5.
>
The jewelry sale represents "the first time ancient jewelry has been
offered at the museum," says Sid Goldstein, associate director of the
museum and curator of ancient and Islamic art. "And most people
assume this sort of material doesn't exist or isn't available for sale," he
adds. "But it is, and it's quite beautiful, and much of it is quite stable and
wearable."
>
Indeed, the beauty is obvious in a pair of Greek earrings from the 5th
century B.C., shaped as golden flower petals curling up around circles
of stamens. The same may be said for a gold Roman ring, inset with
carnelian that accents a carving of the goddess Minerva.
>
These pieces are not inexpensive, with prices ranging from around $250
up to $50,000 and beyond. But people do buy and wear them - especially
when they're carefully, artfully reinforced. Others buy to collect.
Meanwhile, at the time of this sale, the museum's gift shop also will offer
reproductions of ancient jewelry in the more affordable $15-to-$75
range.
>
Here's a quick look at the East Coast dealers who will be coming to
Sculpture Hall. They include:
>
- Antiquarium, Ltd., at 948 Madison Avenue in New York, is bringing
dozens of ancient gold pieces ranging from "$1,000 to tens of
thousands," says Robin Beningson, director of the fine- and ancient-arts
gallery. The pieces often are set with semi-precious and precious stones
and detailed with tiny gold beading and  granulation. Roman coins also
are fashioned into earrings and pendants set in 22-carat gold. Ancient
gold rings are carved with images of deities and patron saints, worn for
good luck as well as symbols of social status," she says.
>
- Fortuna Fine Arts, Ltd., 984 Madison Avenue, is bringing some 40
examples of wearable earrings, rings, necklaces, pendants, cameos and
other ornaments from the 2nd century B.C. to the 12th and 13th centuries
A.D. Prices range from $1,000 to $50,000. A specialty of Fortuna are
seal rings with carved precious and semi-precious stones that served
as ancient calling cards for men and women.
>
- Noele and Ronald Mele of Westport, Conn., bringing some 100 examples
of Greek, Roman, Etruscan and Assyrian gold jewelry, including plain,
round, gold earrings from Roman times costing around $300 to elaborate
Helensic [sic] earrings for $50,000. "This is somewhat unique," Ronald
Mele says of the sale to art-museum visitors. "As a rule, our clients are
mainly in Europe as museums and private collectors."
>
- The Merrin Gallery, 724 Fifth Avenue in New York, is bringing some 40
pieces of pre-Columbian and ancient Mediteranean [sic] jewelry ranging
from about $1,500 to $30,000. Its vice-president, Linda Schildkraut, says
the gallery obtains these pieces from collectors who may be going
through "life changes, like divorce, or they're people who are older, not
interested anymore in the responsibility of a collection."(Schildkraut's
own life changes include once working at the St. Louis Art Museum
during her graduate-school days at Washington University).