RON HENGGELER

 

Accidentally discovered by a French farmer in 1830, the spectacular hoard of gilt-silver statuettes and vessels known as the Berthouville Treasure was originally dedicated to the Gallo-Roman god Mercury. Following four years of meticulous conservation and research at the Getty Villa, this exhibition allows viewers to appreciate their full splendor and offers new insights about ancient art, technology, religion, and cultural interaction.

The opulent cache is presented in its entirety for the first time outside Paris, together with precious gems, jewelry, and other Roman luxury objects from the royal collections of the Cabinet des Médailles at the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

This exhibition was organized by the J. Paul Getty Museum in collaboration with the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des monnaies, médailles et antiques, Paris. Generous support was provided by the Getty Museum's Villa Council.

In 1830, a French farmer plowing his field near the village of Berthouville, in rural Normandy, accidentally discovered a hoard of spectacular silver-gilt objects that were deliberately buried during antiquity. The items, all dated to the first or second century AD, were dedicated to the Roman god Mercury and collectively became known as the Berthouville Treasure. After four years of meticulous conservation at the Getty Villa this splendid collection of Roman silver comes to San Francisco in Ancient Luxury and the Roman Silver Treasure from Berthouville. The exhibition features more than 160 pieces, including selections from this find as well as precious gems, jewelry, and other Roman luxury objects from the royal collections of the Cabinet des médailles at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris.

 

 

 

 

The site where the Berthouville Treasure’s approximately 90 silver-gilt statuettes and vessels were found was surveyed and excavated in 1861 and 1896, revealing the foundations of a Gallo-Roman fanum, or sanctuary: a square, colonnaded precinct with two temples. There is no evidence of a permanent settlement nearby, indicating that the place may have been intended for pilgrimage, and perhaps was visited during annual festivals.

 

Medallion (emblema) with a cupid holding a mask and lyre

Roman, AD 100--225

Silver and gold

 

Offering bowl with a medallion of Mereury and Rosemerta

Roman AD 150--225

The most impressive items bear Latin inscriptions stating that they were dedicated to Mercury by a Roman citizen named Quintus Domitius Tutus. Several of the vessels, which are profusely ornamented in high relief and gilded, are recognized today as among the finest surviving ancient Roman silver objects. Shortly after their discovery, the pieces were acquired by the Bibliothèque nationale de France, where they were cleaned and restored using 19th-century methods. The recent conservation has allowed for more meticulous and modern treatments, which, combined with the research done by Getty scholars, have produced valuable new insights regarding these objects.

 

Two-handled vessel (amphoriscus)

Roman AD 100--225

Silver

Detail of:

cup with centaurs

Roman AD 100

Silver and gold

“Since 2010, this magnificent collection of silver objects has been undergoing extensive conservation and study at the Getty Villa, providing us a unique opportunity to examine the production of Roman luxury materials and seeing what this has to teach us about the art, culture and religion of Roman Gaul,” says Timothy Potts, director of the J. Paul Getty Museum. “Being able to display this dazzling hoard at the Getty Villa is a great privilege for us and our visitors, and we have the added satisfaction of knowing that they will return to France much better understood and looking spectacularly better than before.”

 

Mercury

Roman AD 175—200

Silver and gold

One of the largest statuettes in precious metal to survive from antiquity, this figure of Mercury originally bore identifying attributes. In addition to holding the caduceus (snake-entwined staff), he probably wore a winged petasus (traveler's hat) and carried a moneybag in his right hand--for Mercury was the patron of prosperity as well as the messenger of the gods. The deity's pose and muscular physique derive from Classical Greek statues of the fifth century BC, which were poular among the Romans.

Mercury

Roman AD 175—200

Silver and gold

Mercury

Roman AD 175—200

Silver and gold

While the treasure – consisting of about 90 silver objects weighing more than 50 pounds – was first discovered in 1830, it was not until 1861 and again in 1896 that the site was extensively surveyed and excavated, uncovering the foundations of a Gallo-Roman fanum, a square colonnaded precinct with two temples. One was dedicated to Mercury Canetonensis (of Canetonum), while the other was devoted to his mother Maia or his consort Rosmerta. A theater-shaped gathering space was also found nearby. The site survey did not reveal any evidence of an ancient settlement or cemetery in the immediate area, so it’s possible that Mercury’s sanctuary at Berthouville was a place of pilgrimage, perhaps visited during annual festivals.

Mercury

Roman AD 175—200

Silver and gold

 

 

Long-handled bowl with Maia or Rosmerta

Roman AD 175--225

Silver

The most impressive objects in the Berthouville Treasure bear Latin inscriptions stating that they were dedicated to Mercury by a Roman citizen named Quintus Domitius Tutus. Several of the vessels, profusely ornamented in high relief and then gilded, are recognized today as among the finest ancient Roman silver to survive. The elaborately decorated imagery of Tutus’s offerings, except for one ladle that was manufactured specifically for Mercury, feature Bacchic motifs and mythological scenes that are more appropriate to luxurious dining than religious observance. These items were probably presented to Mercury at Berthouville after initial use as private display silver. Subtle differences in their dedicatory inscriptions may indicate that they were given to the god over the course of a few years, again suggesting that it was perhaps offered during annual festivals.

 

Pair of pitchers with scenes from the Trojan War

Roman AD 1--100

Silver and gold

Like most of the vessels offered to Mercury by Quintus Domitius Tutus, these objects may have been heirlooms, used at banquets before being dedicated at the sanctuary near Berthouville. The images show two closely related episodes from the Trojan War.

Detail of:

Pitcher with scenes from the Trojan War

Roman AD 1--100

Silver and gold

Soon after its discovery, the treasure was acquired by the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris where it was cleaned and the disassociated parts of several vessels were reassembled. Since the treasure had been buried over centuries, many of the objects were heavily encrusted and the ancient solder that had held together their components often became separated. The nineteenth-century restoration included the removal of some of the tarnish, accretions, and harder encrustations, and left some deep scratches. Some of the corrosion was so tenacious that it had to be left in place, and a number of objects were restored with materials that were commonplace in the day, including solder, pine resin, and beeswax.

Detail of:

Pitcher with scenes from the Trojan War

Roman AD 1--100

Silver and gold

 

In December 2010 the entire treasure, as well as four unrelated late antique silver platters or missoria from the Cabinet’s collection, arrived at the Getty Villa for a comprehensive conservation treatment. The four-year project focused not only on restoring the works but on historical research, careful study, and meticulous cleaning. This treatment has revealed much of the original gilding, additional inscriptions, and valuable evidence for ancient production techniques as well as nineteenth-century methods of restoration.

 

Detail of:

Pitcher with scenes from the Trojan War

Roman AD 1--100

Silver and gold

 

Pair of cups (scyphi) with centaurs

Roman AD 100

Silver and gold

“We are privileged that our colleagues in Paris have entrusted us with these exquisite objects. The opportunity to study them over an extended period of time has produced valuable new insights about the unsurpassed artistry of ancient Roman silversmiths,” said Kenneth Lapatin, exhibition curator and associate curator of antiquities at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

The exhibition also presents a variety of precious objects from the collection of the Cabinet des médailles at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, one of the premier repositories of ancient luxury arts. The objects on display include the four newly restored Late Antique missoria, cameos, intaglios, gold coins and jewelry, marbles, and bronzes. These surviving artifacts from the Cabinet’s collection not only demonstrate the skills of Roman craftsmen but also provide valuable information about social relations at the height of the empire in the first to sixth centuries A.D.

Detail of:

Beaker (models)with imagery related to Isthmian and Corinth

Roman AD 1--100

Silver and gold

 

 

Cameo of Jupiter

(Cameo of Chartres)

Roman, ca. AD 50

Sardonyx; set in a 14th-century gold and enamel mount

 

 

 

Medallion (emblema) fragment with a bust of Maia or Rosmerta

Roman, AD 100-225

Silver and gold

 

 

Detail of:

cup with centaurs

Roman AD 100

Silver and gold

 

Detail of:

Cup (canthari) with masks

Roman AD 1--100

Silver

Detail of:

Cup (canthari) with masks

Roman AD 1--100

Silver

 

Detail of:

cup with centaurs

Roman AD 100

Silver and gold

 

Pair of cups (canthari) with masks

Roman AD 1--100

Silver

Detail of:

Cup (canthari) with masks

Roman AD 1--100

Silver

 

 

Detail of:

Pitcher with scenes from the Trojan War

Roman AD 1--100

Silver and gold

Mercury

Roman AD 1--100

Bronze, copper, and silver

Detail of:

Beaker (models)with imagery related to Isthmian and Corinth

Roman AD 1--100

Silver and gold

Cameo of the emperor Trajan

Roman, ca. AD 100

Sardonyx; set in a 17th century gold, enamel, and ruby mount

 

Detail of:

Cup (canthari) with masks

Roman AD 1--100

Silver

Seated man, possibly Sophocles

Greek or Roman, 100BC--AD 200

Bronze and silver

The Cabinet des médailles is one of the premier repositories of ancient luxury arts. The objects from its holdings on display in Ancient Luxury and the Roman Silver Treasure from Berthouville include four newly restored Late Antique missoria (silver platters), cameos, intaglios, gold coins and jewelry, and marble and bronze sculptures. These artifacts demonstrate the high skill of Roman craftsmen, and their study at the Getty has revealed valuable information about social relations from the first to the sixth centuries AD, at the height of the Roman Empire.

The four missoria, on view in the final section of the exhibition, were luxury objects in Late Antiquity. They were primarily intended to display the wealth, status, and cultural aspirations of their owners. The two largest platters are the famed “Shield of Scipio” (found in the Rhone near Avignon in 1636) and “Shield of Hannibal” (found in the Alps in 1714). The shape, scale, and imagery of these two platters led early scholars to erroneously identify them as votive shields of historical generals – the Roman Scipio Africanus and his rival, the Carthaginian Hannibal.

Plate (missorium)

with the embassy to Achilles (Shield of Scipio)

Roman AD 375--400

Silver and gold

Cow

Greek, 100BC--AD 79

Bronze

Plate (missorium) with Hercules wrestling the Nemean Lion

Roman AD 500--600

Silver

Detail of:

Cow

Greek, 100BC--AD 79

Bronze

Offering Bowl with Bacchus, Hercules, and Coins.