Minoan Artifacts Land in Manhattan

Provenance is one of the most pressing concerns in the world of antiquities. But an upcoming exhibit of Minoan art circumvents that topic. More than 280 artifacts are coming straight from Greece to Manhattan as part of "From the Land of the Labyrinth: Minoan Crete, 3000 – 1100 B.C.," which will open at the Onassis Cultural Center on March 13.

"We are bringing treasures from the Labyrinth that have never been seen here before," president of the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation, Anthony Papadimitriou, said. "This is Minoan art, from the first palaces in Europe. We have pieces that were found in the palaces, in Knossos, in the Labyrinth."

Arranged chronologically and thematically to show all aspects of Minoan life and culture, the exhibit displays Crete's role as a naval superpower and thriving Mediterranean trade entrepot. At its zenith (1900–1450 B.C.E.), Bronze Age Minoan Crete produced an array of expressive metalwork and art objects. Gemstone seals, pottery, figurines, ceremonial vessels, jewelry, inscribed tablets, swords, tools, coffins, grand pithoi, or storage jars, and the nature-inspired frescoes all attest to a flourishing culture that faced few threats — other than earthquakes.

Despite the decorative objects, perhaps the best known element of the culture is the legend of the Minotaur: how King Minos, who ruled the oceans, took revenge for his murdered son by demanding tribute from the Athenians of seven youths and seven virgins to feed to his bloodthirsty Minotaur, half bull, half man, which he kept in a labyrinthine maze in his palace at Knossos.

The overlapping or combination of human and animal life was a common feature of Minoan artistic vocabulary. Images of warriors in bull-leaping games or bare-breasted goddesses handling snakes are easy to find. According to the curator of the exhibit and the director of the 25th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities in Greece, Maria Vlazaki, one of the highlights of the show is the Zakros Bull's Head Rhyton, a religious libation vessel that was incised with wavy shapes. Considered an important symbol of Minoan civilization, this extremely rare artifact was found in the 1960s by Greek archaeologist Nikolaos Platon in the ruins of the palace of Zakros, which was destroyed around 1450 B.C.E. Fewer than 25 similar vessels exist and the most famous of them remains in Crete's Heraklion Museum. "It is one of the best preserved examples of this type of vessel," Ms. Vlazaki said.

Another recurring theme is that of the double axe, an emblematic symbol. The great palace at Knossos had a Hall of the Double Axes and, according to Ms. Vlazaki, the word "labyrinth" refers to the palace itself. "The current theory is that 'labyrinth,' a word of pre-Greek origin, was derived from labrys (double axe), the most eminent symbol of Minoan religion, meaning 'The House of the Double Axe.'"

A miniature double axe, delicately crafted in gold, and three large bronze examples are in the exhibit. The votive axe was found in the Arkalochori cave, perhaps a site for cult worship.

Marine motifs and floral-like designs reflect a timeless quality in Minoan pottery. The curious eyes of an octopus peer from a swirl of black-outlined tentacles decorating a clay jar. But people were subjects too: The slim-waisted, bull-dancing acrobats who entertained crowds were painted onto surfaces.

A vibrant fresco of partridges dallying in the wind-tufted reeds has colors so fresh and bold one might think it was painted yesterday. In the 1990s, this fresco was discovered in the ruins of the Knossos palace guest house by famed archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans, and remains in the Heraklion Museum. Unlike wall paintings made by the Egyptians, who applied pigments to dry plaster, Minoan craftsmen painted with a mixed technique of buon fresco (pigments on wet surface), which required quick execution, and dry fresco for the rendering of details.

The sculpture and art objects of ancient civilizations and the classical Greeks influenced the Romans, and later the Italians, but the wholesale looting of Greece's treasures became rampant in the 18th century. Many of ancient Crete's artifacts are spread around the world, "as happens to so many treasures of our civilization," Ms. Vlazaki said. "The return of Greek artifacts is a great issue."

Today, the focus has shifted to preservation, and there is less concern about borrowed antiquities being lost. "With all our exhibitions, we are very careful that they come from official museums and collections," Mr. Papadimitriou said.

Nonetheless, all loans of historic art and cultural artifacts, such as the Minoan exhibit, require the approval of the Central Archaeological Council — with a final nod from the Minister of Culture.

"Until now, there was a general reluctance by the (Greek) museums because they didn't feel they had foolproof conservation or the proper transportation," Executive Director of the Onassis Center, ambassador Loucas Tsilas, said. "But now we have the technology to safely conserve, transport, and protect such artifacts."

From March 13 until September 13 (645 Fifth Ave. at 51st Street, 212-486-4448).