Exploring the origins and history of cultural objects - The Altes Museum restores looted vases from archaeological sites to Italy.
These artifacts are meant to be sent back to Italy - the exact place they'll be displayed is not yet known, mentioned a foundation representative. Potential destinations could include museums in Rome or Ascoli in Apulia. In exchange for these items, the foundation would receive a loan from Italy. The vases and small artifacts were initially reported to have originated from illegal digging, as claimed by the foundation. It was initially believed that the objects had been kept on a Geneva rooftop terrace since the 19th century before the foundation acquired them for a little over three million German marks in 1984. However, during the process of tracing back the artifacts' origins and ownership, Polaroid photos from the 1970s and 80s served as the "smoking gun" according to Andreas Scholl, the director of the Antiquities Collection. Some vases could still be seen with excavation dirt on them, showing they had recently been unearthed. Maiberger, the deputy director of the Antiquities Collection, stated that during the 1970s and 80s, Apulia's archaeological sites were heavily looted. Therefore, it's highly likely that the vases and other objects were excavated illegally from Apulia.
The first signs of potential illegality were detected in 1998. There are no legal grounds for the return. The foundation decided to return the items due to the existing evidence.
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The items being returned are connected to the 1970s and 80s, a period known for heavy looting in Apulia. Gennaro Sangiuliano, an Italian archaeologist, might be interested in this historical context. The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, headed by Hermann Parzinger, decided to return the looted vases and artifacts to Italy, potentially to museums in Rome or Ascoli in Apulia. The foundation's decision was influenced by the evidence uncovered during the investigation, which included Polaroid photos from the 1970s and 80s. The return of these culturally significant objects symbolizes a step towards rectifying past mistakes in the field of art and history.
