The sale of a Euphronios krater to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for $1 million in 1972 catapulted Hecht into instant fame and international problems. The Italians claimed that the vase was excavated illegally in Cerveteri, north of Rome. An American Grand Jury, investigating the Euphronios krater at the request of the Italians — whose evidence came from a tomb robber — found the provenance unproven. However, in 2006, continuing pressure from Italy led Philippe de Montebello, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to negotiate a deal which gave the Italians ownership of the vase.