At a ceremony held in Rome earlier this year, Italy has hosted nearly 60 ancient artifacts who had been repatriated from the United States Experts estimated that the objects were worth more than 19 million dollars, but for the European country, they represented even more.
“For us Italians, the value of these works of art, which is the value of our historical and cultural identity, is incalculable,” said Vincenzo Molinese, then head of the carabinieri’s artistic brigade.
But maybe they’re not worth that much after all. At least not according to Italian archaeologist Gianfranco Adornato, who wrote in a recent report that a “good percentage” of returned relics are “easily recognizable fakes”.
In an article published last month in The Giornale dell’Arte, experts point to several suspicious pieces, including a cup from 500 BC. Adorned with eyes and a Dionysian mask. The ship has “an unconventional foot awkwardly attached to the tank,” says Adornato. The markings show a “strange eye pattern, lacking the long tear wattles [that are] characteristic of this vascular typology”, while the painted mask “is simplified by superficial and imprecise graffiti”.
Another cup, from the second half of the 6th century BCE, has two decorative monsters “in a totally false pose” which has not been found on vases of its time, by Adornato. For the archaeologist, the question goes beyond these individual artifacts. He concludes his report with a question about what “the investment of resources and energy in recovering bogus antiquities purchased on the black market” means for the state’s efforts in tracking down illegally stolen cultural heritage.
“What will they do?” he asks the Carabinieri art team, public museums and other groups involved in the effort.
For the Americans, the repatriation of these objects and 50 other objects to Italy was of particular importance, and not only because of their supposed value.
More than 20 of the pieces, including a marble head of Athena dating to 200 BCE, have been seized from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, according to the art diary. Several others had belonged to Michael Steinhardt, a billionaire who accepted an unprecedented lifetime ban to acquire antiquities in 2021 after a years-long investigation into its illicit collecting practices.
More trending stories:
Why Andy Warhol’s “Prince” is actually bad, and the Warhol Foundation v. Goldsmith is actually good
The Art Angle podcast: James Murdoch talks about his vision for Art Basel and the future of culture
Sculpture depicting King Tut as a black man sparks international outrage
Follow Artnet News on Facebook:
Want to stay one step ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to receive breaking news, revealing interviews and incisive reviews that move the conversation forward.
