NEW YORK (AP) – Two looted antiquities are being repatriated to Italy from New York City.

An Italian government representative was taking possession of them at a ceremony on Wednesday. The artifacts are a Pompeii wall panel fresco and a Corinthian vase for mixing water and wine.

They were recovered by immigration and customs officials in June. Both items had been scheduled for auction in New York before it was discovered they’d been looted.

Immigration officials said the vase may have been illegally introduced into the art market by Giacomo Medici in 1985. The art dealer was convicted in Rome in 2004 of conspiracy to traffic in antiquities.

The fresco was reported stolen in Italy in 1997.

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On the Net:

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: www.ice.gov

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AP-CS-12-02-09 1138EST