Another 142 stolen Italian relics seized last year by Manhattan investigators are on their way to Rome’s new Rescue Museum after being handed over to Italian officials on Wednesday during a ceremony in New York.
Among the approximately $ 14 million worth of returns is frescoes stolen from famous archaeological sites. Herakraneum, A town buried in volcanic ash after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Known as the Ercolano Fresco, the town depicts Hercules strangling a snake and was confiscated from the collection of hedge fund pioneer Michael H. Steinhart. last year.
The $ 1 million worth of frescoes was one of the 180 items abandoned by Steinhardt after Italian and Manhattan investigators determined that the work had been stolen and illegally placed on the art market. Steinhardt, 81, purchased it from dealer Robert Hect, who was accused of illegal trafficking. Steinhard agreed to a lifetime ban on the acquisition of relics as part of the resolution of the case.
Of the 142 items returned on Wednesday, Manhattan District Attorney officials said 48 had been recovered from Mr Steinhardt. An additional 60 items have been recovered from the Royal Athena Gallery in Manhattan, the premier dealer of Greco-Roman artifacts, officials said.
The relic was returned during a return ceremony at the District Attorney’s Office attended by Fabrizio di Michele, the Italian Consulate General in New York. Museo dell’Arte Salvata, Or a museum of rescued art. It recently opened as a showcase of returned ancient relics and other recovered works of art.
Many of the plunders currently on display in Rome were also confiscated by the district attorney’s ancient relic trafficking unit.
In a statement, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. said: There are too many important cultural artifacts illegally looted and trafficked around the world. “
Officials say that among the recovered items were three frescoes stolen from the ancient Greek city of Capaccio in southern Italy, dating back to the 4th century BC. The painting depicts the scene of a woman in mourning and was hacked from the wall of the tomb by a predator. Pithos or storage bottles dating back to 700 BC were also recovered during the founding of Rome.
