The Metropolitan Museum is returning more than 45 artifacts that were illegally removed to Italy

The District Attorney of Manhattan ( New York, United States), Alvin L. Bragg Jr., announced the return of 59 cultural artifacts to their respective countries of origin— Italy, Iraq, and Indonesia—following three separate official ceremonies that mark a new chapter in the international fight against the illicit trafficking of archaeological artifacts and works of art. The total value of the artifacts exceeds $600,000 and underscores the scope of the investigations conducted by the Antiquities Trafficking Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. “The return of nearly sixty artifacts to countries around the world demonstrates the scope of our investigative work, and I thank our team and our partners in the three countries for their cooperation, which made it possible to return these antiquities to their lands of origin,” said Alvin L. Bragg.

The largest portion of the operation involved Italy, to which 48 archaeological artifacts with a total value exceeding $300,000 were returned. Of these, 45 were held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The artifacts were recovered as part of several criminal investigations aimed at dismantling international networks involved in the illicit trafficking of antiquities. According to investigators’ findings, the artifacts had entered the Metropolitan Museum’s collections through acquisitions made by three individuals already known to international authorities for their involvement in the trade of archaeological artifacts: Robert Hecht, Jonathan Rosen, and Fritz Burki. The handover ceremony took place in the presence of Giuseppe Pastorelli, the Italian Consul General in New York, and Brigadier General Antonio Petti, commander of the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage.

Brigadier General Antonio Petti emphasized the value of the collaboration established over the years between Italian authorities and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office: “Today’s restitution by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office,” he stated, “is a concrete symbol of the fruitful and well-established collaboration with the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage. I extend my most sincere thanks to Matthew Bogdanos and his entire team for their constant, day-to-day commitment to healing the wounds inflicted on our historical heritage and our national identity.”

Among the most significant artifacts returned to Italy is a terracotta krater attributed to the famous Painter of Troilus and dated to between 480 and 470 B.C. According to investigators’ findings, the vase was illegally exported from Italy by Fritz Burki, subsequently restored by Sandro Cimicchi, and finally consigned to Christie’s auction house in London for sale. The piece subsequently entered the collections of the Metropolitan Museum, where it remained until it was seized by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in early 2026. Among the returned artifacts is also a marble fish plate from Magna Graecia, dating to around 400 B.C. This is a distinctive type of ceramic that originated in mainland Greece and spread rapidly throughout the Greek colonies of southern Italy. The dish had been sold in 1984 by Robert Hecht and was also held in the Metropolitan Museum’s collections until it was seized by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office earlier this year.

The second ceremony concerned the repatriation to Iraq of nine antiquities with a total value of nearly $300,000. Duraid Abbas, Iraq’s deputy chief of mission to the United States, attended the handover and highlighted the value of the collaboration established with U.S. judicial authorities. “The return of these precious Iraqi antiquities,” he said, “reflects the strength of the collaboration between the Republic of Iraq and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in protecting our shared cultural heritage. We express our sincere appreciation, in particular to Matthew Bogdanos and his team, for their professionalism, dedication, and tireless efforts in investigating the illicit trafficking of antiquities and facilitating the return of these priceless cultural treasures to Iraq. Their ongoing cooperation has played a vital role in safeguarding an important part of Iraq’s history and humanity’s heritage.”

Among the most significant works are two Sumerian plaster statues depicting a male and a female worshipper, both dating to the Early Dynastic II period of Mesopotamia, between 2,750 and 2,600 B.C. The two sculptures represent some of the oldest three-dimensional depictions of the human figure known to date.

According tothe Antiquities Trafficking Unit’s investigation, both appeared on the antiquities market only in 2015, when Ariadne Galleries put them up for sale, attributing them to the so-called “Rihani Family Collection.” Subsequent investigations, however, linked the two artifacts to a broader international trafficking ring operated by Hassan Rihani. Previously, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office had already seized and returned eleven antiquities that Rihani had illegally introduced onto the market, originating from Iraq, Jordan, Israel, and Syria. In early 2026, an auction house once again offered the two statues for sale, altering their provenance and simply listing them as belonging to the “R. Family Collection.” Despite the attempt to conceal their origin, investigators were able to identify them as stolen property and obtained a seizure warrant in June 2026.

The third announced restitution, meanwhile, concernsIndonesia and involves two human skulls belonging to the Dayak people of the island of Borneo, with a total estimated value of approximately $15,000. The two artifacts were handed over during a ceremony attended by Winanto Adi, Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in New York. In his remarks, the diplomat emphasized that the significance of the restitution goes far beyond the mere material value of the objects. “Today we are honored to witness a new chapter in this extraordinary collaboration with the return of Indonesian cultural treasures,” he said. “The continuity of this cooperation reflects something far more important than the return of valuable objects. It reflects the trust, mutual respect, and shared values that have long characterized the friendship between Indonesia and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. It is particularly significant that this repatriation is taking place in the year the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of its independence. As Americans celebrate their nation’s history, this ceremony serves as a reminder that every country carefully safeguards the objects that tell the story of its civilization. Preserving cultural heritage means preserving a people’s identity, dignity, and collective memory.”

For the Dayak people, these skulls are in fact sacred objects, considered ancestral relics, guardians of the community, and a tangible link to the power of their ancestors. They are artifacts venerated through specific traditional practices and included in collections of ancestral relics and artifacts from past wars. According to the investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the two skulls had been illegally exported from Indonesia and seized by U.S. authorities as early as 2024.

The investigations leading to the announced restitutions were coordinated by Matthew Bogdanos, head of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit and Senior Trial Counsel for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, along with Assistant District Attorney Jacqueline Studley, investigative analysts Giuditta Giardini and Hilary Chassé, investigator John Paul Labbat, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Brenton Easter, and former investigative analyst Michael Chapin.

The Metropolitan Museum is returning more than 45 artifacts that were illegally removed to Italy

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