On the Fascination of Objects

The Shefton Collection in Newcastle upon Tyne contains a fine array of Greek and Etruscan objects and takes its name from its founder Professor Brian Shefton (1919 – 2012). In spite of the importance of this collection it has not been widely published and remains something of a hidden gem. Brian Shefton was an insightful collector, as well as a distinguished scholar of Greek and Etruscan archaeology, and the 14 papers presented here reflect the broad scope of the collection; ranging across pottery, jewelery, terracottas and metalwork. The contributions, written by leading experts in the field, focus on specific objects or groups of objects in the Collection, providing new interpretations and bringing previously unpublished items to light. The history of the Shefton Collection is explored. Together these contributions provide a tribute to a remarkable individual who made a substantial and notable contribution to his discipline.

Table of Contents

Contributors
Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations

Foreword
John Prag

1. Introduction, Tony Spawforth and Andrew Parkin

2. Little Boxes, Little Boxes, Elizabeth Moignard

3. Evocative Objects. The Attic Black-Glazed Plemochoai (Exaleiptra) between Archaeology and Vase Painting, Diana Rodríguez Pérez

4. An Attic Red-Figure Kalathos in the Shefton Collection, Sally Waite

5. Farewells by the Achilles Painter, Susan B. Matheson

6. Note on an Askos in Newcastle, François Lissarrague

7. Some Early Attic Red-Figure Stemless Cups, Brian A. Sparkes

8. The Nostell Priory Bolsal, David W. J. Gill

9. Two Coral-Red Bowls in the Shefton Collection, Athena Tsingarida

10. The Shefton Dolphin Rider, Judith M. Barringer

11. Lydian Gold to Newcastle, Dyfri Williams

12. Three Etruscan Mirrors in the Shefton Collection, Andrew Parkin

13. Brian Benjamin Shefton and the Etruscan Bronze Funnels, Alessandro Naso

14. The Newcastle Gems, John Boardman

John Boardman is a geomorphologist educated at the Universities of Keele (BA and DSc) and London (BSc, PhD, PGCE). John retired from the Environmental Change Institute (ECI) at the University of Oxford, in September 2008. He is now an Emeritus Professor at the ECI, and at the University of the Free State, South Africa. He has published over 190 papers mainly on land degradation and has edited several books including Soil Erosion in Europe (2006) and Southern African Landscapes and Environmental Change (2018). John continues to work on soil erosion in southern England and on land degradation in South Africa.

Andrew Parkin is Keeper of Archaeology for the Great North Museum with a background is in both archaeology and education. His research interests include the archaeology of Ancient Greek religion, in particular Greek temple architecture and the questions of its origins and potential significance, votive deposition in Greek sanctuaries and elsewhere in the Greco-Roman world and the Classical tradition in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Sally Waite is a teaching fellow in Classics at the University of newcastle upon Tyne with particular research interests in Greek and Etruscan art. She leads a number of projects researching and cataloguing Greek and Etruscan objects held in museum collections in the north of England.