LOS ANGELES (AP) – The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles is returning ancient sculptures and other works of art that were illegally exported from Italy, the museum announced August 11.
WORCESTER, Mass. — The Worcester Art Museum (WAM) presents Jewels of the Nile: Ancient Egyptian Treasures from the Worcester Art Museum now until January 29, 2023. It brings to light the exceptional collection of Egyptian jewelry assembled by Kingsmill Marrs and Laura Norcross Marrs and given to WAM by Mrs. Marrs in 1926.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — When Austin, Texas-based art collector Laura Young purchased a marble bust at a local Goodwill store in 2018, she didn’t know that she had accidentally stumbled upon a centuries-old sculpture that once belonged in the collection of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. The work, which was initially identified by Sotheby’s consultant Jorg Deterling and further authenticated by the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens, and Lakes, is now on view at the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) through May 2023.
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) – The United States on March 31 returned a cache of smuggled ancient artifacts to Libya as the oil-rich Mediterranean country struggles to protect its heritage against the backdrop of years of war, turmoil and unrest. The repatriated items include two sculptures dating to the 4th century BCE from the ancient city of Cyrene.
MES AYNAK, Afghanistan (AP) – The ancient Buddha statues sit in serene meditation in the caves carved into the russet cliffs of rural Afghanistan. Hundreds of meters below lies what is believed to be the world’s largest deposit of copper. Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers are pinning their hopes on Beijing to turn that rich vein into revenue to salvage the cash-starved country amid crippling international sanctions.
The fighters standing guard by the rocky hillside may once have considered destroying the terracotta Buddhas. Two decades ago when the Islamic hard-line Taliban were first in power, they sparked world outrage by blowing up gigantic Buddha statues in another part of the country, calling them pagan symbols that must be purged. But now they are intent on preserving the relics of the Mes Aynak copper mine. Doing so is key to unlocking billions in Chinese investment, said Hakumullah Mubariz, the Taliban head of security at the site, peering into the remnants of a monastery built by first-century Buddhist monks.
BRUSSELS, Belgium – Art Recovery International has announced the recovery of a part of India’s cultural heritage dating from the second half of the 3rd century. This is the third such repatriation of stolen and looted Indian art in the last three months for Art Recovery International (ARI) working in partnership with The India Pride Project (IPP).
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Affiliated Auctions and Realty, LLC landed “the historical object of a lifetime” when the bell of the Santa Maria arrived at their auction house last month. The naval bell reportedly was aboard the largest of Christopher Columbus’ fleet of ships used during his first voyage of discovery and new lands in 1492. The auction house will offer the bell for public sale on Wednesday, March 2. Its estimate is $2.5 million-$5 million. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
LONDON – On February 9, The British Museum and Allen Archaeology announced the discovery of what they call “the most important piece of prehistoric art to be found in Britain in the last 100 years.” The object is a 5,000-year-old chalk sculpture that was found on a country estate near the village of Burton Agnes in East Yorkshire.
NEW YORK – On January 26, a philatelic auction gallery in New York will be offering the sixth installment of 10 featuring the “Erivan” Collection of United and Confederate States Postal History. This particular installment is distinguished by its inclusion of a Pony Express envelope addressed to Abraham Lincoln.
ROME (AP) – An Italian museum is lending a fragment of the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece, in what both sides hope will become a permanent return that might encourage others – the British Museum, in particular – to send their own pieces of the works back, too.