Museum Of Rescued Art Features Italy’s Ancient And Stolen Relics

Rome features a museum to recover ancient artworks and artefacts that are stolen from different cultural sites in Italy and illegally smuggled to the US or other countries

Updated on: 24 January 2023 5:19 am

A culture heritage protection squad established in 1969 has recovered more than 3m stolen artefacts

A museum of trafficked artefacts? Yes, that's right. Rome features a museum to recover ancient artworks and artefacts which are stolen from different cultural sites in Italy and illegally smuggled to the US or other countries. Known as the Museum of Rescued Art, the structure is a part of the ancient ruins of Rome's Baths of Diocletian. The museum showcases objects that are found during the Etruscan or Magna Grecia civilizations.

As part one of the museum, out of 260, 100 Etruscan, Greek and Roman artefacts are showcased. Along with this, other items on display are figurines, statues, urns, plates and coins. These items are subject to change as more looted items will be returned to Italy. It is believed that the stolen items will be returned to their original site from where they were stolen.

A cultural heritage protection squad established in 1969 has recovered more than 3m stolen artefacts.

According to reports , Dario Franceschini, Italian culture minister, said, “Stolen works of art and archaeological relics that are dispersed, sold or exported illegally is a significant loss for the cultural heritage of the country. Protecting and promoting these treasures is an institutional duty, but also a moral commitment: it is necessary to take on this responsibility for future generations.”

During clandestine digs by tombaroli or tomb-raider way back in the early 1980s, were illegally sent to different countries. These artefacts were stored in museums, auction houses, private collections etc. Examples of such are Etruscan figurines and painted jars worth centuries-old, which are displayed in the museum.

Another recent example of a stolen artefact - a white marble head of Roman emperor Settimio Severo was recently found in June 2020. The stolen artefact was about to be put up for auction at Christie’s, New York. It was solen in 1984 from a museum in the southern Campania region of Italy.

Returning the relics from the stolen sites to their original places is not as easy as it sounds. Experts believe that in some cases, the exact original location of the relics cannot be determined due to the damage done. Those relics with unknown origins will be restored in the general geographic area.