Cahn’s Quarterly 1/2025 English Edition
Editorial Why Buy Art Today? Dear readers We are witnessing turbulent times marked by surprising and unpredictable events, in which the post-war order, that served as a guard rail for political and social action for many decades, has been shaken to its foundations. A new order is being established: economically, militarily and culturally. The current uncertainty is great. The stock markets are going berserk, gold prices are soaring and the economy is heading for a recession. How should we deal with this? Instead of allowing yourself to be paralysed by the hypnotic maelstrom of news, it seems more sensible to me to engage with works of art that inspire you. Be they ancient or contemporary, the main thing is that they are art. Art makes us aware of positive things and gives us strength. I have chosen to surround myself with such objects and to withdraw somewhat from current affairs. The latter are too chaotic, too loud, too irrational. Art, on the other hand, decelerates, especially ancient art. These artworks have survived so much. They show their scars and yet have lost none of their radiance. They rest in themselves. Apart from that, ancient art –
despite all the negative news and accusations – is a robust and stable market, provided certain conditions are met. Despite the manifold uncertainties and turbulences, the year got off to a good start for the Cahn Gallery. I hope that you will continue to want to commune with the art of Antiquity at home and that it can become a source of inspiration and serenity. Among the various articles featured in this issue of Cahn's Quarterly, all of which are well worth reading, I would particularly like to recommend the thoroughly researched contribution by Professor Dr. Horst Hammen. Its rigorous and consistent legal approach is, on occasion, not without a degree surrealism. I found it highly rewarding to read the article.
A STATUETTE OF APHRODITE WITH EROS. H. 26 cm. Crystalline marble. Late Hellenistic to Early Imperial, Eastern Mediterranean, 1st cent. B.C.-1st cent. A.D. CHF 18,000
My Choice
A Ring with Odysseus By Jean-David Cahn The image on this Greek gold ring from the 5th century B.C. refers to Book 21 of Homer's Odyssey. After ten perilous years of wandering, Odysseus finally returns home to Ithaca, only to find his faithful wife, Penelope, being disrespectfully pressured to marry one of her many suitors. Penelope, whose resourcefulness equals that of her husband, has just retrieved Odysseus' bow from the treasury. She promises to marry whoever is able to string the bow and shoot an arrow through a line of twelve axes, knowing full well that only Odysseus CQ
could accomplish this feat. Various men having tried in vain to string the bow, it is handed to the disguised Odysseus. To the astonishment of everyone present, he easily fulfills Penelope’s challenge. Odysseus then reveals himself and – this is the subject of the 22nd Book – kills the suitors with the help of his son Telemachus and a few loyal followers. The scene on the ring combines several moments of the narrative, which unfold chronologically from left to right. On the left, 1