Maya Muratov, Associate Research Curator for Provenance, Greek and Roman Galleries, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

In 1895, on the property of Savino Scocchera in Mandorleto-Grotticelle, east of Canosa, two hypogea, located within ten meters of each other, have been discovered accidentally. Although we possess somewhat incomplete records of the contents of the two tombs, it is believed that following the discovery, the majority of finds ended up in the house of Sig. Scocchera. However, within a couple of years, the Scocchera funerary goods were being passed on to the local dealers by the landowner, and eventually many of them ended up in private and public collections throughout Europe and the US. 

A recent (2024) acquisition by the Metropolitan Museum of Art of a head-vase from one of Scocchera’s hypogea (the so-called Tomb B), provides an opportunity to reconstruct and analyze the pathways of the objects’ dissemination. Through this exercise, one gains additional insight into the intricacies of antiquities trade in Italy in general and in Apulia in particular in the late 19 th -early 20 th  century. It also presents an occasion to follow up on the changing notion of the terminological constructs, such as “collection” and “archaeological collection,” and to discuss related museum display practices.

Click HERE for a full list of 2025 workshop abstracts.