The Comando Carabinieri Tutela del Patrimonio Culturale (Carabinieri Cultural Heritage Protection Command ) has returned to Pompeii Archaeological Park a Roman-era mosaic on a travertine slab, datable between the middle of the last century B.C. and the first century A.D., depicting a pair of lovers in an erotic scene, which was stolen from Pompeii in 1944. Repatriated from Germany through a diplomatic expedition arranged by the Consulate General of Italy in Stuttgart, the mosaic most likely decorated the floor of a private room reserved for the master of the house. The work is likely from the Vesuvian area, perhaps from a villa in the Pompeian suburbs. Donated by a Wehrmacht captain, in charge of the military supply chain in Italy during World War II, to a German citizen, the mosaic was returned by his heirs to the Rome TPC Unit, who in turn, after the necessary investigations to establish its authenticity and context of origin, returned it to the Park.
“Today’s redelivery,” said Division General Francesco Gargaro, “once again confirms the great commitment that the Carabinieri Tpc Command puts into the reacquisition of national cultural heritage improperly present abroad. This work is carried out on a daily basis thanks to a dense network of international relationships, consolidated over the years, which allow us to operate with precision and speed.”
“Every looted artifact that returns is a wound that closes, so we express our gratitude to the Protection Unit for the work they do,” said Pompeii Archaeological Park Director Gabriel Zuchtriegel. “The wound consists not so much in the material value of the work, but in its historical value; a value that is greatly compromised by the illicit trafficking of antiquities. We do not know the exact provenance of the find and probably never will; we will do further study and archeometric analysis to ascertain its authenticity, to reconstruct its history as far as possible. Study, knowledge and public enjoyment of heritage are the lotus flowers that grow on the mire of looting driven by the lust for possession and selfishness of those who take archaeological finds from the community.”
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| Roman-era mosaic returned to Pompeii. A Wehrmacht captain donated it to German citizen |
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