<
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/sep/14/anu-to-return-2500-year-old-vase-to-italy-after-link-to-art-trade-exposed>
"For decades a vase dating back to 530BC with two handles depicting Herakles
attempting to stab the Nemean lion has been a seminal piece in the Australian
National University’s collection.
But now the university will repatriate the vase and two other artefacts to
Italy after it was revealed the vase was illegally excavated and sold.
A specialist art squad of Italy’s military police, called the Carabinieri
command for the protection of cultural heritage, alerted the university that
the vase in its collection was stolen after it was connected to an art dealer
notorious for being involved in the illegal art trade.
ANU purchased the 2,500-year-old amphora, also known as the Johnson Vase, in
1984 in “good faith” from Sotheby’s in London and has been a key item in
university’s Classics Museum since.
Following the discovery of the origins of the vase, Italian police requested
documentation of all the items in ANU’s museum."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
