Dietrich von Bothmer
An era in the study and collecting of Greek vases has come to an end with the death of Dietrich von Bothmer, whose modern career became intertwined with the ancient work of the artist Euphronios. From the first Euphronios he saw (in Berlin), which inspired his vocation, to the famous krater he helped the Metropolitan Museum of Art buy in 1972, to the one that got away—the krater’s smaller twin chalice, which he twice tried to acquire (in 1973 and 1990)—Dietrich von Bothmer’s biography became inseparable from that of the Athenian master and his pottery. While a chapter has come to a close, neither man’s story is over. The documents, photos and vase fragments he’s left behind in his files (NYT photo, above) and other archives may allow the curator and professor to keep illuminating the world of ancient art, even after his passing.