Switzerland has returned an important cultural artifact dating back to the 2nd century B.C.to Egypt. The artifact is an Egyptian funerary mask, which was officially handed over to Egyptian authorities during a ceremony held at the Beatrice von Wattenwyl House in Bern. Federal Councilor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs, presented the artifact to the Egyptian ambassador to Switzerland, Mohamed Yehia Mohamed Negm. A representative from the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities also attended the ceremony.
The return brings to a close a case that began in September 2022, when the mask was intercepted by Swiss authorities upon its entry into the country. On September 15 of that year, a carrier had declared the cultural artifact while passing through customs at Bardonnex, in the Canton of Geneva. However, the object had aroused the authorities’ suspicion regarding its possible illicit origin, and the import was consequently blocked. At that point, the Federal Office of Customs and Border Security (UDSC) requested an examination by the Federal Office of Culture (UFC). The artifact was then subjected to a specialized examination to determine its authenticity, origin, and chronology. The analysis conducted by an expert Egyptologist confirmed that the mask is authentic and allowed it to be dated to the middle of the Ptolemaic period, thus placing it in the 2nd century B.C.
The verification of its authenticity and dating allowed the Swiss authorities to proceed with the return of the cultural property to Egypt. The Swiss authorities presented the official handover as further evidence of cooperation between the two countries in protecting cultural heritage and of Switzerland’s policy to combat the illicit transfer of cultural property.
The story of the mask is part of a framework of bilateral cooperation that has been in place for several years now. Switzerland and Egypt signed an agreement in 2011 regarding the import, transit, and return of cultural property. Since the agreement entered into force, Switzerland has returned approximately 80 cultural artifacts to Egypt.
The process followed regarding the mask reflects the procedures established by Switzerland for cultural property whose provenance may be illicit. After being seized at the border, the artifact underwent verification by federal cultural authorities and a specialized examination. The authenticity confirmed by the Egyptologist and its dating to the mid-Ptolemaic period provided the necessary grounds for its return to the Egyptian authorities. The Ptolemaic period, to which the mask dates, corresponds to the phase of Egyptian history that began with Alexander the Great’s conquest of the country in 332 B.C. and continued under the Ptolemaic dynasty until the death of Cleopatra VII and the annexation of Egypt by Rome in 30 B.C. Dating the artifact to the middle of this period thus places it in the 2nd century B.C., a time when Egyptian artistic and funerary traditions continued to develop within a context also marked by the presence of Hellenistic culture.
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| Switzerland returns a 2nd-century B.C. funerary mask to Egypt. |
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