A Passion for Antiquities
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A Passion for AntiquitiesA Passion
for Antiquities Ancient Art from the Collection of Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman
The J. Paul Getty Museum
in association with The Cleveland Museum of Art
© 1994 The J. Paul Getty Museum
17985 Pacific Coast Highway
The J. Paul Getty Museum and cosponsored by The Cleveland
Museum of Art; the exhibition will be on view in Malibu
from October 13,1994 to January 15,1995 and in Cleveland
from February 15 to April 23,1995.
At the J. Paul Getty Museum:
Christopher Hudson, Publisher
John Harris, Editor
Cynthia Newman Bohn, Manuscript Editor
Katy Homans, Designer
Bruce White and Jerry Thompson, Photography
Allan Jokisaari, Map Designer
Cover:
Antefix in the Form of a Maenad and Silenos Dancing.
Catalogue number 92. Photo: Ellen Rosenbery
Title page:
Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A Passion for antiquities : ancient art from the collection of
Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman.
p. cm. "Published on the occasion of an exhibition held at the J. Paul
Getty Museum, October 13,1994-January 15,1995 and at the Cleveland
Museum of Art, February 15-April 9,1995"—T.p. verso
Includes bibliographical references.
I. J. Paul Getty Museum. II. Cleveland Museum of Art.
N5603.M36G486 1994
ix Preface Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman
i Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman: Guardians of the Past Marion True and Arielle Kozloff
9 Chronological Overview of the Fleischman Collection Karol Wight
15 The Beauty of the Ugly: Reflections of Comedy in the Fleischman Collection Oliver Taplin
28 Reference Map
35 Greece in the Bronze Age
45 Greece from the Geometric Period to the Late Classical
115 The Western Greek Colonies in South Italy and Sicily
153 Etruria
199 The Hellenistic World after the Death of Alexander
249 Rome and the Provinces from the Republic to the Late Antique
353 Checklist of Objects in the Fleischman Collection Not Included in the Exhibition
357 Glossary of Frequently Cited Terms
Foreword As the great American museums attest, this country has a well-
established tradition of knowledgeable private collecting. What we see
in the galleries is largely a mosaic of once private collections. These
donations, rather than well-publicized individual purchases, form the
basis of our museums. The feats of individual collectors provoke our
curiosity about what originally inspired them to start collecting, about
the taste that guided them, and about the passion that drove them,
often at great personal sacrifice. Private collections are shaped by many
factors: opportunity, personal interest, influential advisors, and con
temporary tastes. Unlike museum collections that generally t ry to
provide the public wi th as complete and representative a view of an
artistic period or medium as possible, the private collection knows no
such restrictions. The only considerations for the collectors are, Do I
like it? Can I afford it? Can I live wi th it?
Private collections permit us to enter for a moment into the minds
of the collectors and to feel vicariously the joy of discovery and imag
ine the satisfaction of choosing the piece or pieces that gives us the
greatest pleasure. Unlike the museum experience, which often seems
to impose a standard of historical significance and chronology upon
the visitor, a private collection invites us to enjoy the object and make
our own judgments.
The more than three hundred ancient Greek, Etruscan, and Ro
man objects patiently and lovingly gathered by Barbara and Lawrence
Fleischman over the past forty years represent the most refined kind o f
private collecting. The collection reflects the passionate interests and
tastes of the two people who formed it. Because they were chosen for
display in a private apartment, not a grand museum gallery, the ob
jects are generally small and invite intimate study. Examining a large
number of finely wrought objects in a temporary exhibition can be
taxing, so for the purposes of this exhibition, we have chosen to show
only two-thirds of the entire collection.
We are moved by the objects of daily life: a mirror that a South
Italian beauty once used to arrange her hair, a glass perfume bottle
that adorned a Roman matrons table, a humorous terracotta lamp
that gave light to some ancient insomniac. We are impressed by the
power that still radiates from the bronze and marble images of pagan
gods, the confident serenity of Tyche, the majesty of Zeus, the seduc
tive smile of Dionysos. And we are amused, as ancient theater comes
alive again on the great South Italian vases and in the comic masks and
figures of actors in clay and bronze.
The opportunity to exhibit this collection has a particular appeal
for both the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Cleveland Museum of Art .
Like the Getty Museum's collection of antiquities, it is l imited to the
V I I
arts of Greece, Etruria, and Rome, and like the collections of both mu- seums, the guiding factor in the selection of these pieces has been their exceptional artistic quality, not their archaeological interest.
It is a rare privilege for us to present this exhibition. The generos- ity that made it possible is characteristic of the Fleischmans, who for many years have welcomed scholars and connoisseurs from all over the world into their home. It was not difficult to persuade them that the time had come to share their extraordinary achievement with a larger public audience and to live for a year deprived of their house- hold gods.
In addition to the Fleischmans, we would like to thank Ariel Herr- mann, curator of the Fleischman collection for the past four years, who undertook the original research on most of the objects in the col- lection and provided many of the catalogue entries, in addition to overseeing the photography and assisting in the preparation for the transportation of the collection; Bruce White, who provided the wonder- ful photographs of the objects; Jerry Thompson, who photographed the collection in situ; Charles Passela and his staff, particularly Rebecca Branham and Ellen Rosenbery, in Photographic Services at the Getty Museum, who prepared the photographic materials for publication; the Conservation and Preparation staffs of the Getty Museum, espe- cially Jerry Podany, Wayne Haak, Bruce Metro, and Rita Gomez, and Bruce Christman, Chief Conservator of the Cleveland Museum of Art, who managed all aspects of the complex packing, shipping, and in- stallation of these irreplaceable pieces; Cynthia Newman Bohn, who edited the catalogue, Katy Homans, who is responsible for its elegant design, and Elizabeth Burke Kahn of the Publication Services staff, who coordinated all aspects of its production.
John Walsh Director, The], Paul Getty Museum
Robert P. Bergman Director, The Cleveland Museum of Art
VIII FOREWORD
Preface Building a collection is an ongoing adventure and exhibiting it brings us a special pleasure. What makes this odyssey so stimulating is meet- ing so many talented people, all of whom enrich our lives. Planning this exhibition has been a joy, giving us the opportunity to work with co-curators Marion True and Arielle Kozloff, two extraordinarily gifted friends. We would like to thank the staff of the }. Paul Getty Museum, a community of helpful and able people headed by John Walsh, who have contributed greatly to making this a most happy experience. In particular we are grateful to Deborah Gribbon, Dorothy Osaki, Rita Gomez, and Wayne Haak.
We are also most appreciative of the staff of the Cleveland Museum of Art, and its director, Robert P. Bergman, for making possible the ex- hibition's stay in Cleveland.
Interpreting our acquisitions is exceedingly important and has been accomplished by the intelligent and insightful catalogue text written by Maxwell L. Anderson, Janet Grossman, Robert Guy, Kenneth Hamma, Sybille Haynes, Ariel Herrmann, John Herrmann and Annewies van den Hoek, Marit Jentoft-Nilsen, Arielle Kozloff, Leo Mildenberg, Andrew Oliver, Michelle Roland, Oliver Taplin, Elana Towne, Dale Trendall, Marion True, and Karol Wight, with additional help from Jack Ogden, whose reports on the jewelry in the collection served as the basis for the catalogue entries on those objects, and Anne Leinster, who assisted in the verification of the bibliographic citations.
Scholars from all over the world have served as our professors in the informal university that antiquity collecting creates, and we have benefited enormously from their deep and varied knowledge. We must mention Maxwell L. Anderson and Dietrich von Bothmer, who from early days encouraged our reactivated interest in the ancient world, and others, like Michael Padgett, Brian Cook, and Dyfri Williams, who continue to share their enthusiasm and knowledge with us.
As we continue to build this collection we must acknowledge the vital role so many others play in assisting us. The antiquity dealers combine their particular knowledge and enterprise to make these beautiful and unique objects available to us and we have learned much from them.
Bruce White, whose splendid photographs enhance this catalogue, has been a boon to us. Lisa Pilosi helps watch over the physical condi- tion of our treasures, and William Stenders has ably assisted in mount- ing the objects for display at home.
Friendship runs like a thread through our many associations with the people who inhabit this fascinating world. In particular we want to mention our friends and fellow collectors Shelby White and Leon Levy, who, in connection with the exhibition, are so generously under-
IX
writing a symposium at the Cleveland Museum of Art as well as help- ing to sponsor several performances of ancient comedy at the Getty Museum. Also a continual inspiration to us is Christos Bastis, dean of New York antiquity collectors. These friendships, born out of our shared passion, add a special warmth and dimension to our life and indeed are the "icing on the cake."
Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman
X PREFACE
Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman: Guardians of the Past Marion True and Arielle Kozloff
In an age of prefabricated buildings, disposable furnishings, and tran- sient values, it is impossible not to wonder how a young couple from Detroit became interested in the arts of the Classical world. For Bar- bara and Lawrence Fleischman, the answer is not complicated—for them, collecting is pure pleasure. Their interest began before they were married with their mutual fascination with history and the visual arts. Nurtured by experience and personal friendships, their commitment to ancient art developed into a shared passion that over the years has provided an important focus for their partnership.
Larry Fleischman's attraction to antiquity began during the Second World War, when he was a soldier stationed in France, where he vis- ited the Roman ruins of Besancon. A French doctor observed Larry, then a young man of nineteen, gazing intently at the remains of the Roman theater and asked him what he found so absorbing. Impressed by the seriousness of the young American's answer, he invited him home for an evening which would become the basis of a lasting friend- ship. The doctor, who was well-educated in the classics, and his family provided stimulating company during the long months abroad and encouraged Larry's interest in ancient history.
England, too, played a role in the formation of the Fleischmans' development as collectors. During the war, the British Museum had put most of its great treasures in storage for safekeeping. However, one gallery, the Gallery of Edward VII, containing a selection of master- pieces from the collections, remained open to the public. When he was on leave in London Larry visited this gallery; he was fascinated by the variety of objects and charmed by the way that ancient artists had made functional objects into things of beauty. Before the gallery closed in the early 19505, he returned with his bride, Barbara, who proved to be an easy convert to the world of ancient art.
Back in Detroit, the Fleischmans' love and support for the arts be- came an important force in their lives. They soon developed a close friendship with the great director of the Detroit Institute of Arts, Edgar P. Richardson, who was to be a major influence on the direc- tion of their collecting activities. Like the Fleischmans, Richardson was fascinated by ancient art, and together they visited many of the important American collections, where Richardson would point out interesting and often overlooked artifacts. In particular, it was the pieces that were associated with daily life that excited the Fleischmans most. As Barbara recalls, whenever they looked at objects such as an- cient bronze seat markers from a Roman theater or a strainer that had been used in a Greek kitchen, they felt a strong and immediate connection with the people who had owned these things in antiquity.
1
2 BARBARA AND LAWRENCE FLEISCHMAN
Their support for the Detroit Institute of Arts led to Larry's election as president of the museum's Founders Society in 1962.
The Fleischmans purchased their first ancient work of art, a Roman bronze lamp in the shape of a thyrsos (cat. no. 147) in 1951. Still a trea- sured part of the collection, this piece embodied all of their developing interests. They loved it not only for its elegant shape and color but also for its functional nature—its association with the practical aspects of daily life. The fact that someone had once used this beautiful object had a special significance for them, and the human connection to the past that it evoked was to remain a guiding principle in their future collecting. In 1963, for similar reasons, they purchased several Greek vases from the collection of William Randolph Hearst as well as a small vessel of Roman millefiore glass from Jacob Hirsch around the same time.
During these years, another interest, again fostered by Edgar Rich- ardson, began to absorb the Fleischmans, and this was American art. Richardson was one of the foremost scholars in the field of American art and under his guidance they became increasingly impressed by the amount and variety of art that had been created during the United States' two brief centuries of existence. Deciding to focus their attention on works of art created during the life of their own country, Larry and Barbara spent the next decade building a major collection of Ameri- can painting and sculpture. Not satisfied to simply own the works of art, the Fleischmans wanted to know everything they could about the artists and the intellectual achievements of the various periods. As a corollary to their own search for information, Larry at this time co- founded the Archives of American Art, an organization devoted to re- search and scholarship in the field, which he continues to support.
Ironically, it was the Fleischmans' collection of American art that took them to Greece for the first time. In 1959 their paintings went on tour to a number of European cities, including Athens, and Larry was invited to speak about American art in Greece. During this visit, the couple drove together to Delphi and there had an experience that would affect the rest of their lives: they saw the Delphi Charioteer. The emotional impact that monumental bronze figure made upon them both was instrumental in renewing their attraction to ancient art.
Fortunately, this revived interest came at an opportune moment, for it was not many years later that the Fleischmans found it necessary to relinquish the pleasure of collecting American art. During the years of forming their great collection, Larry had become a leading expert and lecturer in the field. And, as is often the case in such circum- stances, his personal interest introduced him to a new profession. In 1966 he became a partner in the Kennedy Galleries, a private art gallery
3 GUARDIANS OF THE PAST
The Fleischmans' living room, January 1994.
in New York devoted to American art; he would become full owner in 1983. He and Barbara moved their family from Detroit to Manhattan and set about creating a new life for themselves. Realizing that they could no longer collect in an area in which they would be competing with their clients, they sought another outlet for their passion. Several factors conspired to influence this decision in favor of antiquities.
The first was an extraordinary invitation from the Vatican to assist in the formation of a collection of modern religious art. Shortly after his coronation, Pope Paul VI had examined the holdings of the Vati- can Museum. Although these were exceptionally strong in the arts of the past, the spiritual art of the twentieth century was not represented. The pope recognized that this situation must be corrected if the Vati- can collections were to maintain their relevance to the modern church and its members around the world, and he decided to seek the advice of experts. Being himself fond of the work of Ben Shahn, Pope Paul asked his staff to contact Shahn's dealer, the Kennedy Galleries. Larry was called to Rome to consult with the Vatican staff about contempo- rary religious art, and with his guidance, the nucleus of the twentieth- century collection took shape. This close association with the Vatican over a number of years was to have a profound effect on both Barbara and Larry, while their frequent trips to Rome deepened their love of ancient history and refined their tastes in art.
During this period, the Fleischmans also made the acquaintance of Dietrich von Bothmer, Chairman of the Greek and Roman Department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. One of the greatest scholars of Greek vase painting, Bothmer had learned that Larry and
4 BARBARA AND LAWRENCE FLEISCHMAN
The Fleischmans' dining room, January 1994.
Barbara owned some vases from the William Randolph Hearst collec- tion. As Bothmer himself had purchased skty-five vases from the Hearst estate for the Metropolitan Museum, he had a particular interest in the collection and asked if he could come to see their pieces. With his typi- cal honesty, he judged them to be genuine but of little aesthetic value. He advised the Fleischmans to sell most of these pieces and replace them with examples of greater quality if they wished to collect seriously. Rec- ognizing the wisdom of this advice, Larry and Barbara began to dis- pose of the early purchases and to refine the quality of their ancient art collection.
But perhaps the single most important influence on the Fleisch- mans at this time was Maxwell Anderson, then Assistant Curator of Greek and Roman Art under Bothmer at the Metropolitan Museum, and now Director of the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory Univer- sity in Atlanta, Georgia. Delighted by the Fleischmans' burgeoning in- terest in antiquities, he introduced them to dealers who specialized in ancient art and encouraged them to support the Metropolitan Museum's exhibitions of ancient art, most notably "The Amasis Painter and His World." With characteristic commitment, the Fleischmans became enthusiastic participants in the activities of the Greek and Roman Department.
Through their association with the Metropolitan Museum, Barbara and Larry met two other passionate collectors of antiquities, Shelby White and Leon Levy, who joined Christos Bastis and others when Larry and Dietrich von Bothmer formed a support group called the Philodoroi for the Metropolitan's Greek and Roman Department. When
5 GUARDIANS OF THE PAST
the moment came for the retirement of Bothmer, who had served as a source of encouragement and advice to both couples, the Fleischmans and the Levys together proposed to create a Distinguished Chair for Research in Bothmer's honor. It was at the urging of the Fleischmans that Shelby White and Leon Levy agreed to present their splendid col- lection to the public in exhibition "The Glories of the Past," which opened at the Metropolitan Museum in September 1990. The Fleisch- mans sponsored the symposium that was held on January 12,1991, in honor of the exhibition.
One special passion of Barbara Fleischman, now shared whole- heartedly by Larry, is a love of the theater. On…
for Antiquities Ancient Art from the Collection of Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman
The J. Paul Getty Museum
in association with The Cleveland Museum of Art
© 1994 The J. Paul Getty Museum
17985 Pacific Coast Highway
The J. Paul Getty Museum and cosponsored by The Cleveland
Museum of Art; the exhibition will be on view in Malibu
from October 13,1994 to January 15,1995 and in Cleveland
from February 15 to April 23,1995.
At the J. Paul Getty Museum:
Christopher Hudson, Publisher
John Harris, Editor
Cynthia Newman Bohn, Manuscript Editor
Katy Homans, Designer
Bruce White and Jerry Thompson, Photography
Allan Jokisaari, Map Designer
Cover:
Antefix in the Form of a Maenad and Silenos Dancing.
Catalogue number 92. Photo: Ellen Rosenbery
Title page:
Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A Passion for antiquities : ancient art from the collection of
Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman.
p. cm. "Published on the occasion of an exhibition held at the J. Paul
Getty Museum, October 13,1994-January 15,1995 and at the Cleveland
Museum of Art, February 15-April 9,1995"—T.p. verso
Includes bibliographical references.
I. J. Paul Getty Museum. II. Cleveland Museum of Art.
N5603.M36G486 1994
ix Preface Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman
i Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman: Guardians of the Past Marion True and Arielle Kozloff
9 Chronological Overview of the Fleischman Collection Karol Wight
15 The Beauty of the Ugly: Reflections of Comedy in the Fleischman Collection Oliver Taplin
28 Reference Map
35 Greece in the Bronze Age
45 Greece from the Geometric Period to the Late Classical
115 The Western Greek Colonies in South Italy and Sicily
153 Etruria
199 The Hellenistic World after the Death of Alexander
249 Rome and the Provinces from the Republic to the Late Antique
353 Checklist of Objects in the Fleischman Collection Not Included in the Exhibition
357 Glossary of Frequently Cited Terms
Foreword As the great American museums attest, this country has a well-
established tradition of knowledgeable private collecting. What we see
in the galleries is largely a mosaic of once private collections. These
donations, rather than well-publicized individual purchases, form the
basis of our museums. The feats of individual collectors provoke our
curiosity about what originally inspired them to start collecting, about
the taste that guided them, and about the passion that drove them,
often at great personal sacrifice. Private collections are shaped by many
factors: opportunity, personal interest, influential advisors, and con
temporary tastes. Unlike museum collections that generally t ry to
provide the public wi th as complete and representative a view of an
artistic period or medium as possible, the private collection knows no
such restrictions. The only considerations for the collectors are, Do I
like it? Can I afford it? Can I live wi th it?
Private collections permit us to enter for a moment into the minds
of the collectors and to feel vicariously the joy of discovery and imag
ine the satisfaction of choosing the piece or pieces that gives us the
greatest pleasure. Unlike the museum experience, which often seems
to impose a standard of historical significance and chronology upon
the visitor, a private collection invites us to enjoy the object and make
our own judgments.
The more than three hundred ancient Greek, Etruscan, and Ro
man objects patiently and lovingly gathered by Barbara and Lawrence
Fleischman over the past forty years represent the most refined kind o f
private collecting. The collection reflects the passionate interests and
tastes of the two people who formed it. Because they were chosen for
display in a private apartment, not a grand museum gallery, the ob
jects are generally small and invite intimate study. Examining a large
number of finely wrought objects in a temporary exhibition can be
taxing, so for the purposes of this exhibition, we have chosen to show
only two-thirds of the entire collection.
We are moved by the objects of daily life: a mirror that a South
Italian beauty once used to arrange her hair, a glass perfume bottle
that adorned a Roman matrons table, a humorous terracotta lamp
that gave light to some ancient insomniac. We are impressed by the
power that still radiates from the bronze and marble images of pagan
gods, the confident serenity of Tyche, the majesty of Zeus, the seduc
tive smile of Dionysos. And we are amused, as ancient theater comes
alive again on the great South Italian vases and in the comic masks and
figures of actors in clay and bronze.
The opportunity to exhibit this collection has a particular appeal
for both the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Cleveland Museum of Art .
Like the Getty Museum's collection of antiquities, it is l imited to the
V I I
arts of Greece, Etruria, and Rome, and like the collections of both mu- seums, the guiding factor in the selection of these pieces has been their exceptional artistic quality, not their archaeological interest.
It is a rare privilege for us to present this exhibition. The generos- ity that made it possible is characteristic of the Fleischmans, who for many years have welcomed scholars and connoisseurs from all over the world into their home. It was not difficult to persuade them that the time had come to share their extraordinary achievement with a larger public audience and to live for a year deprived of their house- hold gods.
In addition to the Fleischmans, we would like to thank Ariel Herr- mann, curator of the Fleischman collection for the past four years, who undertook the original research on most of the objects in the col- lection and provided many of the catalogue entries, in addition to overseeing the photography and assisting in the preparation for the transportation of the collection; Bruce White, who provided the wonder- ful photographs of the objects; Jerry Thompson, who photographed the collection in situ; Charles Passela and his staff, particularly Rebecca Branham and Ellen Rosenbery, in Photographic Services at the Getty Museum, who prepared the photographic materials for publication; the Conservation and Preparation staffs of the Getty Museum, espe- cially Jerry Podany, Wayne Haak, Bruce Metro, and Rita Gomez, and Bruce Christman, Chief Conservator of the Cleveland Museum of Art, who managed all aspects of the complex packing, shipping, and in- stallation of these irreplaceable pieces; Cynthia Newman Bohn, who edited the catalogue, Katy Homans, who is responsible for its elegant design, and Elizabeth Burke Kahn of the Publication Services staff, who coordinated all aspects of its production.
John Walsh Director, The], Paul Getty Museum
Robert P. Bergman Director, The Cleveland Museum of Art
VIII FOREWORD
Preface Building a collection is an ongoing adventure and exhibiting it brings us a special pleasure. What makes this odyssey so stimulating is meet- ing so many talented people, all of whom enrich our lives. Planning this exhibition has been a joy, giving us the opportunity to work with co-curators Marion True and Arielle Kozloff, two extraordinarily gifted friends. We would like to thank the staff of the }. Paul Getty Museum, a community of helpful and able people headed by John Walsh, who have contributed greatly to making this a most happy experience. In particular we are grateful to Deborah Gribbon, Dorothy Osaki, Rita Gomez, and Wayne Haak.
We are also most appreciative of the staff of the Cleveland Museum of Art, and its director, Robert P. Bergman, for making possible the ex- hibition's stay in Cleveland.
Interpreting our acquisitions is exceedingly important and has been accomplished by the intelligent and insightful catalogue text written by Maxwell L. Anderson, Janet Grossman, Robert Guy, Kenneth Hamma, Sybille Haynes, Ariel Herrmann, John Herrmann and Annewies van den Hoek, Marit Jentoft-Nilsen, Arielle Kozloff, Leo Mildenberg, Andrew Oliver, Michelle Roland, Oliver Taplin, Elana Towne, Dale Trendall, Marion True, and Karol Wight, with additional help from Jack Ogden, whose reports on the jewelry in the collection served as the basis for the catalogue entries on those objects, and Anne Leinster, who assisted in the verification of the bibliographic citations.
Scholars from all over the world have served as our professors in the informal university that antiquity collecting creates, and we have benefited enormously from their deep and varied knowledge. We must mention Maxwell L. Anderson and Dietrich von Bothmer, who from early days encouraged our reactivated interest in the ancient world, and others, like Michael Padgett, Brian Cook, and Dyfri Williams, who continue to share their enthusiasm and knowledge with us.
As we continue to build this collection we must acknowledge the vital role so many others play in assisting us. The antiquity dealers combine their particular knowledge and enterprise to make these beautiful and unique objects available to us and we have learned much from them.
Bruce White, whose splendid photographs enhance this catalogue, has been a boon to us. Lisa Pilosi helps watch over the physical condi- tion of our treasures, and William Stenders has ably assisted in mount- ing the objects for display at home.
Friendship runs like a thread through our many associations with the people who inhabit this fascinating world. In particular we want to mention our friends and fellow collectors Shelby White and Leon Levy, who, in connection with the exhibition, are so generously under-
IX
writing a symposium at the Cleveland Museum of Art as well as help- ing to sponsor several performances of ancient comedy at the Getty Museum. Also a continual inspiration to us is Christos Bastis, dean of New York antiquity collectors. These friendships, born out of our shared passion, add a special warmth and dimension to our life and indeed are the "icing on the cake."
Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman
X PREFACE
Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman: Guardians of the Past Marion True and Arielle Kozloff
In an age of prefabricated buildings, disposable furnishings, and tran- sient values, it is impossible not to wonder how a young couple from Detroit became interested in the arts of the Classical world. For Bar- bara and Lawrence Fleischman, the answer is not complicated—for them, collecting is pure pleasure. Their interest began before they were married with their mutual fascination with history and the visual arts. Nurtured by experience and personal friendships, their commitment to ancient art developed into a shared passion that over the years has provided an important focus for their partnership.
Larry Fleischman's attraction to antiquity began during the Second World War, when he was a soldier stationed in France, where he vis- ited the Roman ruins of Besancon. A French doctor observed Larry, then a young man of nineteen, gazing intently at the remains of the Roman theater and asked him what he found so absorbing. Impressed by the seriousness of the young American's answer, he invited him home for an evening which would become the basis of a lasting friend- ship. The doctor, who was well-educated in the classics, and his family provided stimulating company during the long months abroad and encouraged Larry's interest in ancient history.
England, too, played a role in the formation of the Fleischmans' development as collectors. During the war, the British Museum had put most of its great treasures in storage for safekeeping. However, one gallery, the Gallery of Edward VII, containing a selection of master- pieces from the collections, remained open to the public. When he was on leave in London Larry visited this gallery; he was fascinated by the variety of objects and charmed by the way that ancient artists had made functional objects into things of beauty. Before the gallery closed in the early 19505, he returned with his bride, Barbara, who proved to be an easy convert to the world of ancient art.
Back in Detroit, the Fleischmans' love and support for the arts be- came an important force in their lives. They soon developed a close friendship with the great director of the Detroit Institute of Arts, Edgar P. Richardson, who was to be a major influence on the direc- tion of their collecting activities. Like the Fleischmans, Richardson was fascinated by ancient art, and together they visited many of the important American collections, where Richardson would point out interesting and often overlooked artifacts. In particular, it was the pieces that were associated with daily life that excited the Fleischmans most. As Barbara recalls, whenever they looked at objects such as an- cient bronze seat markers from a Roman theater or a strainer that had been used in a Greek kitchen, they felt a strong and immediate connection with the people who had owned these things in antiquity.
1
2 BARBARA AND LAWRENCE FLEISCHMAN
Their support for the Detroit Institute of Arts led to Larry's election as president of the museum's Founders Society in 1962.
The Fleischmans purchased their first ancient work of art, a Roman bronze lamp in the shape of a thyrsos (cat. no. 147) in 1951. Still a trea- sured part of the collection, this piece embodied all of their developing interests. They loved it not only for its elegant shape and color but also for its functional nature—its association with the practical aspects of daily life. The fact that someone had once used this beautiful object had a special significance for them, and the human connection to the past that it evoked was to remain a guiding principle in their future collecting. In 1963, for similar reasons, they purchased several Greek vases from the collection of William Randolph Hearst as well as a small vessel of Roman millefiore glass from Jacob Hirsch around the same time.
During these years, another interest, again fostered by Edgar Rich- ardson, began to absorb the Fleischmans, and this was American art. Richardson was one of the foremost scholars in the field of American art and under his guidance they became increasingly impressed by the amount and variety of art that had been created during the United States' two brief centuries of existence. Deciding to focus their attention on works of art created during the life of their own country, Larry and Barbara spent the next decade building a major collection of Ameri- can painting and sculpture. Not satisfied to simply own the works of art, the Fleischmans wanted to know everything they could about the artists and the intellectual achievements of the various periods. As a corollary to their own search for information, Larry at this time co- founded the Archives of American Art, an organization devoted to re- search and scholarship in the field, which he continues to support.
Ironically, it was the Fleischmans' collection of American art that took them to Greece for the first time. In 1959 their paintings went on tour to a number of European cities, including Athens, and Larry was invited to speak about American art in Greece. During this visit, the couple drove together to Delphi and there had an experience that would affect the rest of their lives: they saw the Delphi Charioteer. The emotional impact that monumental bronze figure made upon them both was instrumental in renewing their attraction to ancient art.
Fortunately, this revived interest came at an opportune moment, for it was not many years later that the Fleischmans found it necessary to relinquish the pleasure of collecting American art. During the years of forming their great collection, Larry had become a leading expert and lecturer in the field. And, as is often the case in such circum- stances, his personal interest introduced him to a new profession. In 1966 he became a partner in the Kennedy Galleries, a private art gallery
3 GUARDIANS OF THE PAST
The Fleischmans' living room, January 1994.
in New York devoted to American art; he would become full owner in 1983. He and Barbara moved their family from Detroit to Manhattan and set about creating a new life for themselves. Realizing that they could no longer collect in an area in which they would be competing with their clients, they sought another outlet for their passion. Several factors conspired to influence this decision in favor of antiquities.
The first was an extraordinary invitation from the Vatican to assist in the formation of a collection of modern religious art. Shortly after his coronation, Pope Paul VI had examined the holdings of the Vati- can Museum. Although these were exceptionally strong in the arts of the past, the spiritual art of the twentieth century was not represented. The pope recognized that this situation must be corrected if the Vati- can collections were to maintain their relevance to the modern church and its members around the world, and he decided to seek the advice of experts. Being himself fond of the work of Ben Shahn, Pope Paul asked his staff to contact Shahn's dealer, the Kennedy Galleries. Larry was called to Rome to consult with the Vatican staff about contempo- rary religious art, and with his guidance, the nucleus of the twentieth- century collection took shape. This close association with the Vatican over a number of years was to have a profound effect on both Barbara and Larry, while their frequent trips to Rome deepened their love of ancient history and refined their tastes in art.
During this period, the Fleischmans also made the acquaintance of Dietrich von Bothmer, Chairman of the Greek and Roman Department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. One of the greatest scholars of Greek vase painting, Bothmer had learned that Larry and
4 BARBARA AND LAWRENCE FLEISCHMAN
The Fleischmans' dining room, January 1994.
Barbara owned some vases from the William Randolph Hearst collec- tion. As Bothmer himself had purchased skty-five vases from the Hearst estate for the Metropolitan Museum, he had a particular interest in the collection and asked if he could come to see their pieces. With his typi- cal honesty, he judged them to be genuine but of little aesthetic value. He advised the Fleischmans to sell most of these pieces and replace them with examples of greater quality if they wished to collect seriously. Rec- ognizing the wisdom of this advice, Larry and Barbara began to dis- pose of the early purchases and to refine the quality of their ancient art collection.
But perhaps the single most important influence on the Fleisch- mans at this time was Maxwell Anderson, then Assistant Curator of Greek and Roman Art under Bothmer at the Metropolitan Museum, and now Director of the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory Univer- sity in Atlanta, Georgia. Delighted by the Fleischmans' burgeoning in- terest in antiquities, he introduced them to dealers who specialized in ancient art and encouraged them to support the Metropolitan Museum's exhibitions of ancient art, most notably "The Amasis Painter and His World." With characteristic commitment, the Fleischmans became enthusiastic participants in the activities of the Greek and Roman Department.
Through their association with the Metropolitan Museum, Barbara and Larry met two other passionate collectors of antiquities, Shelby White and Leon Levy, who joined Christos Bastis and others when Larry and Dietrich von Bothmer formed a support group called the Philodoroi for the Metropolitan's Greek and Roman Department. When
5 GUARDIANS OF THE PAST
the moment came for the retirement of Bothmer, who had served as a source of encouragement and advice to both couples, the Fleischmans and the Levys together proposed to create a Distinguished Chair for Research in Bothmer's honor. It was at the urging of the Fleischmans that Shelby White and Leon Levy agreed to present their splendid col- lection to the public in exhibition "The Glories of the Past," which opened at the Metropolitan Museum in September 1990. The Fleisch- mans sponsored the symposium that was held on January 12,1991, in honor of the exhibition.
One special passion of Barbara Fleischman, now shared whole- heartedly by Larry, is a love of the theater. On…
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