The Euphronios Krater at the Metropolitan Museum: A Question of Provenance

Subsequent to the purchase in 1972 of a rare vase by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, a controversy arose concerning its origin. Criticism of the museum centered on allegations that the vase had recently been illegally excavated in and removed from Italy. The museum maintained throughout the controversy that the vase had been privately owned for over fifty years. The author examines both sides of the dispute and concludes that the museum's finding of private ownership, originally made at the time of purchase, is still correct.