Current:Home > StocksStolen ancient treasures found at Australian museum — including artifact likely smuggled out of Italy under piles of pasta-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Stolen ancient treasures found at Australian museum — including artifact likely smuggled out of Italy under piles of pasta
View Date:2024-12-23 15:43:11
Italian art detectives have found stolen ancient treasures at a leading Australian university, including an artifact likely smuggled out of the country under piles of pasta, the institution said.
Australian National University (ANU) said Friday it was working with the "specialist art squad" of Italy's Carabinieri military police to return the priceless pieces.
The looted works discovered within the university's classics museum included a 2,500-year-old amphora depicting Greek champion Heracles fighting the mythical Nemean lion. It has been "a key object in the ANU Classics Museum for almost 40 years," the institution said.
Italian police discovered an old Polaroid photo of the Heracles vase while investigating an unnamed art thief, which led them to believe it had been illegally plundered before it was sent to Australia.
The Canberra university said it had bought the vase in "good faith" at a Sotheby's auction in 1984, and was "proud" to work with Italian investigators to see it returned to its rightful home.
Museum curator Georgia Pike-Rowney described the vase, which dates back to 530 BC, as a "stunning example" of ancient Mediterranean craftmanship.
"A vessel with two handles, the amphora would have been used for storing olive oil or wine," she said.
Working in tandem with the museum, the Carabinieri also identified a stolen red fish plate from the Italian region of Apulia which they were able to trace to David Holland Swingler, an American art trafficker and food importer known for a culinary modus operandi.
"During trips to Italy, Swingler sourced material directly from tombaroli -- literally 'tomb robbers' who undertake illegal excavations," Pike-Rowney said.
She added that Swingler "then smuggled the items to the U.S. hidden among bundles of pasta and other Italian foods".
Spurred to undertake its own audit, the Australian National University subsequently found a Roman marble head that belonged to a separate collection owned by the Vatican.
Pike-Rowney said the Carabinieri have received permission to act on the Vatican's behalf to repatriate the artifact.
"Conversations about the repatriation of ancient artifacts have become prominent in recent years, as institutions across the world grapple with the legacies of historical collection practices," said Pike-Rowney.
"As Australia's national university, ANU must be at the forefront of best practice in the management of restitution and repatriation cases."
Italy's government has agreed to loan the vase and the fish plate to the university until they are returned at a "future date."
The news of the stolen treasures came just days after a famous art detective returned a Vincent van Gogh painting to a Dutch museum more than three years after it was stolen.
Also last week, authorities in the U.S. seized three artworks believed stolen during the Holocaust from a Jewish art collector.
- In:
- Italy
- Australia
- Art
veryGood! (436)
Related
- The state that cleared the way for sports gambling now may ban ‘prop’ bets on college athletes
- Elkhorn man charged in Wisconsin sports bar killings
- Putin claims he favors more predictable Biden over Trump
- There was an outcry about ‘practice babies’ on TikTok. It’s not as crazy as it sounds.
- Walmart Planned to Remove Oven Before 19-Year-Old Employee's Death
- From 'Oppenheimer' to 'The Marvels,' here are 15 movies you need to stream right now
- Protests, poisoning and prison: The life and death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny
- Body of deputy who went missing after making arrest found in Tennessee River
- Arbitrator upholds 5-year bans of Bad Bunny baseball agency leaders, cuts agent penalty to 3 years
- Prosecutors drop domestic violence charge against Boston Bruins’ Milan Lucic
Ranking
- Kid Rock tells fellow Trump supporters 'most of our left-leaning friends are good people'
- She fell for a romance scam on Facebook. The man whose photo was used says it's happened before.
- WTO chief insists trade body remains relevant as tariff-wielding Trump makes a run at White House
- Massachusetts man is found guilty of murder in the deaths of a police officer and elderly widow
- More human remains from Philadelphia’s 1985 MOVE bombing have been found at a museum
- WTO chief insists trade body remains relevant as tariff-wielding Trump makes a run at White House
- Massachusetts man is found guilty of murder in the deaths of a police officer and elderly widow
- A birthday party for a dying father chronicles childhood before loss in 'Tótem'
Recommendation
-
Fire crews on both US coasts battle wildfires, 1 dead; Veterans Day ceremony postponed
-
Blogger Laura Merritt Walker Shares Her 3-Year-Old Son Died After Tragic Accident
-
Beyoncé has been on the move and posting more lately, to fans' delight
-
Consumers sentiment edges higher as economic growth accelerates and inflation fades
-
Asian sesame salad sold in Wegmans supermarkets recalled over egg allergy warning
-
Tax refund seem smaller this year? IRS says taxpayers are getting less money back (so far)
-
Coach Outlet's AI-mazing Spring Campaign Features Lil Nas X, a Virtual Human and Unreal Deals
-
New Hampshire lawmakers approve sending 15 National Guard members to Texas