Italy asks Louvre for return of seven archaeological artifacts

Italy has asked the Louvre for the return of seven archaeological artifacts: the indiscretion was reported yesterday by the French newspaper Le Monde, which claims to have received confirmation directly from the Paris museum. These include the important Berlin painter’s amphora, an important piece of fifth-century B.C.E. Greek pottery (pictured below), where a musician in profile playing a zither is depicted on one side, and a laurel-crowned figure on the other. Then there are a crater by the painter of Ixion and a crater in the manner of the painter of Antimene.

The Louvre acquired the seven finds between 1982 and 1998, a time when there was not the attention that there is now to the provenance of the works. And indeed, these are works that, in the past, were in the possession of dealers convicted of illicit art sales, or under suspicion. At the moment, the investigation is still ongoing, but according to Le Monde , a historic agreement between Italy and France to return the works to our country could be reached in the fall.

“I am convinced that all those works that have a dubious provenance are a stain within the Louvre’s collections,” Louvre director Laurence Des Cars told Le Monde . “We absolutely have to take responsibility and examine what happened with rigor and lucidity.”

Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano also commented on the article, “I am pleased,” he said, “that a great cultural institution such as the Louvre recognizes the request I forwarded, on the occasion of the meeting in Paris with director Laurence Des Cars last February. On that occasion we presented an accurate dossier prepared by the relevant offices of the Ministry of Culture on some archaeological artifacts currently in the collections of the French museum that were stolen and illegally exported from Italy, raising the question of their return. This resulted in a constructive dialogue, which is still ongoing, between the Ministry of Culture and the French museum, with the common goal of protecting cultural heritage and combating the illicit trafficking of cultural goods.”

Italy asks Louvre for return of seven archaeological artifacts

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