Italy
Related Encyclopedia Entries
Benghazi Treasure
The so-called Benghazi Treasure is a group of antiquities that was excavated in Cyrenaica after the First World War during the Italian occupation of Libya (Bailey 2011).
Cleveland Museum of Art Returns to Italy (2008)
Artefacts returned to Italy in 2008 after Italian investigations into illicit trading.
Euphronios (Sarpedon) Krater
The Euphronios (Sarpedon) krater is a red-figure calyx krater made in Athens circa 515 BC, signed by Euxitheos as potter and Euphronios as painter. It was bought by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1972 for the then record-breaking price of $1 million, and is now thought to have been excavated illegally in Italy in 1971. In 2006, the Metropolitan restored ownership of the krater to Italy.
Fano Bronze
The Fano Bronze is a bronze statue currently owned by the J. Paul Getty Museum (Victorious Youth, 77.AB.30) but subject to an Italian claim for repatriation.
Getty Aphrodite
The Getty Aphrodite is a large (about 2.3 m tall) limestone and marble statue of a female deity, probably Aphrodite, Hera or Demeter, dating from 425–400 BC. It was acquired by the J. Paul Getty Museum in 1988 and returned to Italy in 2007.
Getty Kouros
The Getty kouros (youth) is a 2 m high marble statue owned by the J. Paul Getty Museum (85.AA.40), appearing to date from sixth-century Greece, though believed by many authorities to be a modern forgery.
Giacomo Medici
Giacomo Medici is an Italian antiquities dealer who was convicted in 2005 of receiving stolen goods, illegal export of goods, and conspiracy to traffic.
Gianfranco Becchina
Gianfranco Becchina is an Italian antiquities dealer who has been convicted in Italy of illegally dealing in antiquities.
J Paul Getty Museum Returns to Italy (2005)
The J. Paul Getty Museum returned three objects to Italy in 2005 that were stolen or illegally exported.
J Paul Getty Museum Returns to Italy (2007)
Artefacts returned to Italy in 2007 after Italian investigations into illicit trading.
J Paul Getty Returns to Italy (2013)
The Getty Museum returned a looted terracotta head of Hades to Italy.
Lysippan Zeus
A small bronze statue of Zeus stolen from Rome’s National Museum of Italy in 1980 was sold at Sotheby’s New York on 9 December 2004.
Marion True
Marion True was Curator of Antiquities at the J.Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles from 1986 until 2005. She was charged and tried in both Italy and Greece on offences related to antiquities smuggling, but never convicted.
Media Investigations
Some of the most informative studies of the traffic in cultural objects have been conducted by investigative media.
Morgantina Silver
A silver hoard removed from the Sicilian site of Morgantina by looters around in 1979/80 which was eventually purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Operation Andromeda
Operation Andromeda was the name given to a police investigation of Japanese antiquities dealer Noriyoshi Horiuchi.
Operation Geryon
Operation Geryon was the name given by Italian Carabinieri to an investigation into the armed theft of eight antiquities from the castle of Melfi.
Organigram
The ‘organigram’ is a handwritten organizational chart that was recovered in September 1995 during a Carabinieri raid presenting a view of the antiquities trade within Italy as envisaged in the early 1990s.
Toledo Museum of Art Return to Italy (2013)
In January 2013 the Toledo Museum of Art returned a piece that was discovered to have been smuggled out of Italy.
Tombarolo
‘Tombarolo’ is an Italian term (plural ‘tombaroli’), derived from the Italian word ‘tomba’, meaning tomb or grave.
Várez Fisa Collection
Collection of José Luis Várez Fisa donated to the National Archaeological Museum of Spain in 1999.
Vibia Sabina Statue
A 2nd century Roman statue looted from Italy, acquired by the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in 1979, and returned to Italy in 2006.
Related Publications
Tsirogiannis, C. (2016), ‘False Closure? Known Unknowns in Repatriated Antiquities Cases’, International Journal of Cultural Property 23(4): 407–431.
Tsirogiannis, C. (2016), ‘Prompt in Theory and Delay in Practice: a case study in museum ethics’. AP: Online Journal in Public Archaeology 6: 12-25.
Tsirogiannis, C. (2016), ‘Attitudes in Transit: Symes Material from Market to Source’. Journal of Art Crime. Spring. 79–86.
Yates, D. (2015), ‘Value and doubt’: The persuasive power of “authenticity” in the antiquities market’. PARSE 2: 71–84.
Tsirogiannis, C. and Gill D. (2014), ‘”A Fracture in Time”: A Cup Attributed to the Euaion Painter from the Bothmer Collection’, International Journal of Cultural Property 21: 465-480.
Tsirogiannis, C. (2014), ‘A South Italian Bell-Krater by Python in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’, The Journal of Art Crime 11: 63-68.
Brodie, N. (2014) The antiquities trade: Four case studies. In D. Chappell and S. Hufnagel (eds), Contemporary Perspectives on the Detection, Investigation and Prosecution of Art Crime. Oxford: Ashgate, 15-36.
Tsirogiannis, C. (2013), ‘Something is Confidential in the State of Christie’s’, Journal of Art Crime 9: 3-19.
Tsirogiannis, C.(2013), ‘A Marble Statue of a Boy at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’, The Journal of Art Crime 9: 55-60.
Tsirogiannis, C. (2013), ‘From Apulia to Virginia: An Apulian Gnathia Askos at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’, The Journal of Art Crime 10: 81-86.
Ng, D., and Felch, J. (2013), ‘Getty to return artwork to Sicily’, Los Angeles Times, 11 January.
Gill, D. W.J., and Tsirogiannis, C. (2011), ‘Polaroids from the Medici Dossier: continued sightings on the market’, Journal of Art Crime (5): 27-33.
Felch, J. (2011) ‘The goddess of mystery, perhaps’, Los Angeles Times, 29 May.
Felch, J, (2011) ‘Aphrodite now presides in Sicily’, Los Angeles Times, 18 May.
Felch, J. (2011) ‘Getty ships Aphrodite back to Sicily’, Los Angeles Times, 23 March.
Felch, J. (2011) ‘The Amazing Catch They Let Slip Away’, Los Angeles Times, 11 May.
Felch, J., and Borghese, L. (2010) ‘Trial is over for ex-Getty curator’, Los Angeles Times, 14 October.
Felch, J., and Frammolino, R. (2007) ‘The return of antiquities a blow to Getty’, Los Angeles Times, 2 August.
Frammolino, R., and Felch, J. (2007) ‘The Getty’s troubled goddess’, Los Angeles Times, 3 January.
Felch, J. (2006) ‘An Italian offer U.S. museums shouldn’t refuse?’, Los Angeles Times, 11 February.
Felch, J., and Frammolino, R. (2006) ‘Getty lets her take fall, ex-curator says’, Los Angeles Times, 29 December.
Felch, J., and Frammolino, R. (2006) ‘Getty risks `embargo,’ Italy warns’, Los Angeles Times, 11 November.
Felch, J., and Frammonlin, R. (2006) ‘Getty’s List of Doubts Multiplies’, Los Angeles Times, 18 June.
Felch, J., and Frammolino, R. (2006) ‘N.Y. Museum to Return Allegedly Looted Vase’, Los Angeles Times, 3 February.
Frammolino, R., and Felch, J. (2006) ‘Boston Museum Returns 13 Antiquities to Italy’, Los Angeles times, 29 September.
Frammolino, R., and Felch, J. (2006) ‘Judas Gospel Figure Has Tainted Past’, Los Angeles Times, 13 April.
Wilkinson, T., Felch, J., and Frammolino, R. (2006) ‘Getty to Return Artworks to Italy’, Los Angeles Times, 22 June.
Zirganos, N, and Felch, J. (2006) ‘Greek Officials Raid House of Ex-Getty Curator’, Los Angeles Times, 2 April.
Felch, J. (2005), ‘Getty to Return Three Ancient Pieces to Italy’, Los Angeles Times, 4 October.
Felch, J., and Frammolino, R. (2005) ‘Italy Says It’s Proven Vase at Met Was Looted’, Los Angeles Times, 28 October.
Felch, J., and Frammolino, R. (2005) ‘Getty Kept Items to Itself in Probe’, Los Angeles Times, 2 September.
Felch, J., and Frammolino, R. (2005) ‘Getty Had Signs It Was Acquiring Possibly Looted Art, Documents Show’, Los Angeles Times, 25 September (with revision 9 October).
Frammolino, R., and Felch, J. (2005) ‘A Web of Deals: Murky World of Antiquities Trade’, Los Angeles Times, 28 December.