At the beginning of the 20th century, changes in taste and expectations of the public led private museums in Europe and North America to embark on large-scale acquisition of archaeological objects from the Mediterranean and the Near East. John Marshall (1862-1928) was an antiquities expert hired by the Metropolitan Museum of New York as purchasing agent in Europe on behalf of its Department of Classical Art in between 1906 and 1928. His mission was to secure for the Metropolitan a comprehensive collection of antiquities of high aesthetic standards and historical significance. During his...