The Manhattan district attorney’s office said it was sending 200 antiquities worth $10 million back to Italy, saying in a statement that their presence in the U.S. alone was evidence of a crime.
“For years, prestigious museums and private collectors across the United States prominently displayed these Italian historical treasures even though their very presence in America constituted evidence of cultural heritage crimes,” Cy Vance, the district attorney, said in a statement. “The repatriation of this dazzling collection of ancient art begins to address some of the damage done by traffickers and shows the need for all collectors and gallery owners performing due diligence and ensuring pieces they purchased were lawfully acquired.”
The collection—which included painted jars, busts, and a 2,500-year-old wine cup—was largely trafficked by Edoardo Almagià over a 30-year period, according to authorities. Almagià denied the accusations in a fiery phone call with The New York Times.
Read it at The New York Times
