The thing that struck me looking at the remnants of that magnificent ship is how similar it was to the enormous billionaires' yachts - today's true flag of great -- we are familiar with today. The likes of Sheldon Adelson, Richard Branson, Paul Allen, Russian oligarchs, hedge fund owners, entertainment and hi-tech magnates own them, Steve Jobs was building one and our politicians and major stars angle for, ideally "discreet", holidays on them. From one era of enormous income disparity to another -- indicators of a society's incipient decline or just a good place to have a party away from the rabble? I know what Caligula would say. "If Rome had just one neck..." The sentiment seems to be spreading.
25
The probable destruction by the turks of the elgin marbles, had they been returned to the acropolis, is historic fact illuminating the obvious. Ten years ago, I would have been in favor of returning them to Greece. Now our world is as rotten as it has ever been, and our revolting government protects nothing, I say leave them where they are.
20
This is an interesting story. I recalled watching a documentary on Caligula's ships on either the History Channel/International or Discovery.
In addition to how it ended up in their apartment, why did it take four years to investigate and get it returned to Italy. I'm glad it's being returned.
If they were knowingly in possession of looted artifacts, I hope they go to jail.
They can't claim ignorance as they're collectors, they should know better.
13
The article reports Ms. Fiotatti's claim to have acquired the object "from an aristocratic family" but neglects to mention that Ms. Fioratti is herself a Countess or her previous troubles with tax evasion. It also neglects to mention that her father, Arturo Enrico Constantino, was a Fascist diplomat and that the newspaper for which Ms. Fioratti wrote, I'll Tempo, is known for its neofascist leanings. All of this might be relevant to readers weighing Ms. Fiorstti's protests of innocence.
128
Unrepentant and arrogant to the end, Madama Fioratti may not be up there in the pantheon of those who got away from the Manhattan DA (Strauss-Kahn, Weinstein, Ivanka and her husband), but Cyrus Vance Jr. could finally show some steel and actually prosecute a well-to-do criminal who thinks she's above the law.
47
I wonder what he did on that table?
5
Served spaghetti anda meata balls.
10
And under the same line of ethical reasoning, I wonder when the British government will return the Elgin Marbles to Greece, since Lord Elgin took about half of the surviving sculptures at the Parthenon under dubious circumstances in the early 1800s and sold them to the British government, which gave them to the British Museum.
47
What a stunning photograph and artifact.
All: a wonderful book on the subject of the antiquities "trade" is "The Medici Conspiracy" by journalists Peter Watson and Cecilia Todeschini.
We believe our cultures will last....
17
A long-time successful antiques dealer with an Italian connection is ignorant and incurious about a museum quality antique from Italy ... but also thinks she deserves a medal?
Clearly, Trump is having an affect.
110
It is indecent when Ms Fioratti's says "I could have made a fortune" by selling the piece. And more indecent still when she says "They ought to give me the legion of honor for not fighting" the confiscation.
I guess Donald Trump is not the only despicable individual in this world.
103
Well, it was a big ship after all.
And at least we have a bit of it for posterity.
3
The arrogance of Ms. Fioratti leaps off the page. This treasure, like many others, is rightfully the property of all humanity and belongs in a place where all can appreciate it. Let's not kid ourselves. Ms. Fioratti knew what she had and was happy to keep it for her own personal enjoyment as a tabletop for vases and drinks because that's the sort of thing the rich feel entitled to, irrespective of the law or basic decency. She doesn't deserve the Legion of Honor, she deserves to go to jail. She probably won't for the same reasons Harvey Weinstein and Donald Trump won't -- because in this society there is one law for the rich and another for the rest of us. Everyone reading this should ask themselves if the police discovered a stolen ancient Roman artifact in their home whether they would have avoided being led out in handcuffs like Ms. Fioratti. We all know the answer.
112
If was a stolen car orTV and lived in poor neighborhood she would in jail
28
As a lifelong antiques dealer (nowhere to the degree of Fioratti), I can sure vouch that these strange things happen for complex, often unexplainable reasons in the trade. (See: a de Kooning painting stolen from a gallery in Arizona, to surface 30 years later in a New Mexico antiques shop.) I don't at all doubt Fioratti's account of what happened. People die, sell, inherit, whatever, and at some point the trail of movement becomes indiscernible. I have no shortage of antiques myself that I've sold or possess, that if someone came knocking with a case to levy against me, I'd never be able to provide clear documentation for - but I don't doubt that they were of honest origin.
If you're up to something shady, you don't display it like Fioratti for all of your well-educated colleagues to see and marvel at. To me, there's just not enough to fight the forfeiture with.
28
“I have no shortage of antiques myself that I've sold or possess, that if someone came knocking with a case to levy against me, I'd never be able to provide clear documentation for - but I don't doubt that they were of honest origin.”
That’s certainly a convenient perspective for an antique dealer to have! Clear provenances based on lack of any doubt on the part of the seller!
“If you're up to something shady, you don't display it like Fioratti for all of your well-educated colleagues to see and marvel at.”
Really! Perhaps Ms. Fioratti’s hubris lead her to expect that no well-educated colleague invited to visit her at her apartment would have been so audaciously rude as to bring up the issue of the provenance of an antiquity on display! Rather she likely would expect that all such guests would assume that any such artifact which she owned would have a pedigree beyond reproach and that would be the end of it. If that was her expectation, it now seems that it may have been disappointed.
22
Not being a part of the art and antiques trade, I'm curious if Ms. Fioratti's reported response was a kind of insider's humor with a lot of winking and nodding or if she really does believe she is somehow exceptional. Assuming she did make the purchase in good faith, her interview would have to have been accented with a lot of sarcasm to not be troubling.
Does she really believe she did something beyond virtuous by not fighting the piece being taken away from her? Was she really suggesting the missed opportunity to get money gotten from selling stolen goods would have been okay?
If it is stolen, you give it back. No, you don't get an ice cream for doing what you should. And as a dealer, hinting that you're okay with passing on looted goods would seem to be bad for business.
50
Fascinating how Ancient Rome finds its way into today's world. "The Third Ship" would make a great story for Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code) or for Indiana Jones. Maybe it was taken out of the lake and hidden with Caligula's treasure, which includes some ancient artifacts with magical powers. Of course there is an evil faction that wants to use those powers, and another trying to keep it hidden. Maybe a crossover; have Damien from the "Omen" trying to complete his power...
5
I'd like to see a picture of how it looked as table in her apartment.
Where was it, how did the Fioratti's describe it?
7
The destruction of the ships by fire in 1944 was a real tragedy. There was a project in the late 90's-early 00's to build a full-scale replica of one of the two ships raised in the 30's, but it apparently fell through. The third ship is as yet unfound. The Lago di Nemi is only about 0.6 sq. miles, so if the third ship was sunk like the first two (and not burned or otherwise destroyed) it should be findable with modern technology. Bob Ballard, where are you?
39
I have never encountered such a "psychedelic" Roman mosaic as this. It might well reflect the tastes of Caligula.
13
Off appearance alone, I think the third image (the bust) is actually of Augustus and not Caligula. I'd be curious to find more details about the source to confirm.
8
Just a footnote for Mr. McKinley and all the classicists reading this article who are gnashing their teeth at the description of porphyry as a "blood colored stone associated with power". Porphyry is Greek for purple...and the stone that bears its name was a very important symbol of Imperial Roman power that endured for over 1400 years, until the Byzantine Empire finally collapsed at the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. It was exceedingly rare, as it was only found in one quarry in the world, at a desolate location in Egypt's eastern desert, and by law could only be used by the Imperial Family. This remarkable quality example of a porphyry mosaic has to be one of the oldest in existence, as the stone was discovered in 18 AD, less than 20 years before Caligula's short reign as Emperor from 37 - 41 AD. If only this stone could talk, the stories it would tell....
157
This is a fantastic comment and I was about to say something very similar. I am an art historian, interested in the history of porphyry, and as far as I can tell this is the earliest datable use of porphyry in the Roman Empire. The historian Suetonius records Nero's use of porphyry, but no porphyry securely attributed to Nero survives. Exciting find indeed!
45
What "aristocratic family"?
21
Sounds like the Fiorattis forgot to send Vance a campaign contribution.
97
Suspect that the mosaic should be "reputedly from Caligula's ship" since after recovery ordered by Mussolini, the ships and many of their objects were destroyed by a fire of unknown origin. After German forces retreated from the area following shelling by the US Army on May 31, 1944 a fire was reported in the museum where the two ships had been exhibited. Only the bronzes, a few charred timbers, and some material stored in Rome survived the fire.
Earlier this year archaeological divers began searching Lake Nemi in hopes of locating the third vessel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemi_ships
11
Ah yes, my chickadee, shelling by the U.S.Army caused the fire that destroyed the ships.
5
Not necessarily. Germans forces were notorious for destroying buildings, etc., as they retreated. In the city of Florence, they blew up all the bridges across the Arno, except for the Ponte Vecchio.
8
Too bad the American army was there, troll Trout. Otherwise, you could be speaking German now ..:
10
And two ships for now, not three - the third hasn't been found yet, if it exists.
5
All ethical considerations aside, what a wonderful, wonderful thing to have in one's home, even beyond showing it off to others. To look at and touch a beautiful artifact from the mad Emperor Caligula's boat in your own home (!) for decades... Ms. Fioratti should just feel blessed to have had it for the time she did.
29
i think the article says she and her family did...
3
So who was the aristocratic family? She "could have made a fortune" selling it. Doesn't she already have a fortune?
11
Next stop for repatriation of objets d'art: Rubin Museum of Art.
7
". . . she did not intend to fight the seizure because of the expense and time it would take."
Apparently, it did not occur to Ms. Fioratti that returning a piece of history that had been stolen in the first place would be the honorable and right thing to do.
96
Well, all this depends on the time-frame...The Brits aren't about to give back the Elgin Marbles.
36
Point well taken.
6
And how do you think all of the museums in the world got their antiquities?
I'm sure that they checked out their "prizes" to see if they were legitimately obtained with all the certificates going back to the stone age!
17