Reuters US and Italian authorities pose with the objects at a ceremony in New York
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 13:06
Italian police have recovered 266 old objects worth tens of millions of euros from the United States. The objects had been brought there by an international network of art smugglers in the late 1990s and sold.
The objects, the oldest of which date back to the 9th century BC, come from Greek, Roman and Etruscan times. The return of the artifacts was made possible thanks to a collaboration between Italian and American judicial authorities.
According to the Italian police, 145 pieces have been recovered in bankruptcy proceedings against an antiques dealer. Another 65 objects come from a museum in Houston.
A spokesman for the museum said it had been presented with the works as a gift. The museum allegedly referred the donor to the Italian Minister of Culture, who then warned the museum that the objects were being claimed by Italy. According to the spokesperson, the pieces were refused and have never been included in the museum’s collection.
A video shows how the artifacts arrived in Italy:
The special art unit of the Italian police searches all over the world for artifacts to bring them back to Italy. At the end of 2021, the Italian police found more than 200 stolen art treasures in the US with a combined value of approximately 10 million euros.
This year, a painting stolen from an Italian museum was found at an art auction in Middelburg. When the employee of the Italian museum saw that it was being offered, he called in the art unit who then informed their Dutch colleagues. That work was worth significantly less: about 5000 euros.
2023-08-12 11:06:58
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