Travis Simpkins: Giacomo Medici

Thursday, July 16, 2015

"The Medici Conspiracy" by Peter Watson and Cecilia Todeschini

"The Medici Conspiracy"

by Peter Watson and Cecilia Todeschini

Public Affairs, 2006

Brief Review by Travis Simpkins

Though the judge's gavel has long since fallen on many aspects of the Medici case, newly discovered looted antiquities keep coming to light, and The Medici Conspiracy: The Illicit Journey of Looted Antiquities by Peter Watson and Cecilia Todeschini remains a definitive text on the early elements of the investigation. Tracing the journey of looted artifacts from the point they are taken from the ground by tombaroli (tomb robbers), through the shrewd hands of clandestine dealers, to the world's most renowned museums… Watson presents a portrait of a troubling global network of illicit trade.

The veil was lifted in the mid-1990's, when the Geneva Freeport warehouse of Italian dealer Giacomo Medici was raided by authorities. Inside, in addition to shelves full of both cleaned and recently excavated artifacts, they found albums full of incriminating polaroid photographs. The photos, obviously taken after the UNESCO Act of 1971, showed dirt encrusted antiquities in various stages of restoration. The profound observation being that many of the illegally excavated objects in the photos were now in the display cases of famous museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the J. Paul Getty Museum.

In the text, Watson names the key players in the trade, including Giacomo Medici, Robin Symes, Robert Hecht, Marion True, Dietrich von Bothmer and Pietro Casasanta. Much attention is given to the years-long investigation and repatriation of the objects. The lengthy courtroom passages, minute details and legal terminology can be tiresome, but are not obtrusive to the overall message of the tome. The book successfully imparts the stance that the illegal excavation of objects, ripped from the earth and removed from context, robs the world of the history of the places in which they were created. The fact that respected cultural institutions fuel the desecration by purchasing artwork known to be looted further compounds the problem. In it's 357 pages, the book does a thorough job of presenting the facts behind the ill-gotten treasures.

The Euphronios Krater: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

Giacomo Medici and the Euphronios Krater: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

Thomas Hoving: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

Oscar White Muscarella : The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

Dietrich von Bothmer: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

Robert Hecht and the Euphronios Krater: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

Melfi Castle: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

Maurizio Fioerello: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

Giacomo Medici: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

Geneva Warehouse of Giacomo Medici: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

Giacomo Medici polaroids: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

Giacomo Medici warehouse in Geneva: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

Giacomo Medici: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

Giacomo Medici polaroids and fragments: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

The J. Paul Getty Museum: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

Marion True: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

The J. Paul Getty Museum: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

Marion True: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

Cerveteri Necropolis: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

trial of Marion True: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

Giacomo Medici polaroid: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

Cerveteri Necropolis: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

trial of Bob Hecht: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

Ivory Apollo: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

Giacomo Medici mugshot: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

The Euphronios Krater: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

: The Medici Conspiracy. Peter Watson

Thursday, March 5, 2015

"The Fallen Angel" by Daniel Silva

"The Fallen Angel" by Daniel Silva

HarperCollins, 2012

Brief Review by Travis Simpkins

An intriguing mix of murder, looted antiquities, espionage and terrorism is masterfully typed out in the pages of The Fallen Angel, the twelfth entry in the popular "Gabriel Allon" book series by Daniel Silva. The story begins and ends on Holy Ground, starting with a tragic death under St. Peter's Dome in the Vatican… where a young female curator has seemingly committed suicide by leaping to her death. Retired Israeli spy turned art restorer Gabriel Allon is cleaning a work by Caravaggio nearby when he is called to quietly investigate. Gabriel immediately dismisses the suicide theory, and with the Pope's blessing, begins a dangerous journey to solve the murder, dodging bullets and bombs through the corrupt and illicit world of looted antiquities… which leads to a Hezbollah terrorist plot to destroy the Holiest site in Jerusalem. Gabriel Allon remains one of the great characters and paradoxes of modern fiction, with decidedly opposing halves… one gentle, the other lethal. It is no wonder that former U.S. President Bill Clinton cites Gabriel Allon as his favorite fictional character. Daniel Silva is a master at interweaving genres, historical periods and topics. His knowledge of the areas in which he writes is substantial, adding a real sense of place to the descriptions… from the Sistine Chapel to the offices of the Carabinieri, from the slopes of St. Moritz to the narrow lanes of Vienna, from the Dome of the Rock to the archaeologically-rich ancient tunnels beneath the Temple Mount. The story is fictional, but many real-life aspects of the trade in looted antiquities are laid bare, including the case of convicted Italian smuggler Giacomo Medici, which is given ample pause for thought. The fictional characters, many making reappearances, are thoroughly enthralling as well, including Gabriel's lovely wife Chiara, Ari Shamron, Eli Lavon, David Girard, Massoud Rahimi, Uzi Navot, Pope Paul VII and his right-hand-man Luigi Donati. Touchy subjects involving the Israeli-Palestine conflict are dealt with in a bravura manner, including the so-called "Temple Denial", which is the basis for a large portion of the plot. As with his other Gabriel Allon books, Silva combines art crime and espionage with adept skill, and The Fallen Angel is one of the best entries thus far.