Notorious British antiquities dealer Robin Symes has been forced to hand over nearly 750 looted archaeological masterpieces after a long battle for their return, the Carabinieri art police announced Wednesday.
According to JEE News, the artifacts will go on display at Rome’s Castel Sant’Angelo museum as part of a collection of stolen art that has been returned home, with an estimated value of €12 million ( $12.9 million).
The Ministry of Culture said in a statement: “These objects represent a cross-section of the many productions of ancient Italy and the islands, including numerous and diverse archaeological contexts (funeral, cultural, residential and public) especially Etruria. And the Magna Gracia.”
Among the items recovered are a bronze tripod table, parade head gear, funerary paintings, male statues, statues, bronzes, jewellery, weapons and many valuables.
According to the ministry, the artefacts were obtained illegally by Symes Ltd., a major cultural property trafficker controlled by Symes, and obtained from “clandestine excavations on Italian soil”.
“The company, which had always resisted repeated recovery efforts by the Italian judicial authority and was subject to bankruptcy proceedings in the UK,” Italian Attorney General Lorenzo d’Ascia said at a press conference.
“He was also sued in Italy, by the state’s attorney general, for the return of goods or civil compensation for damages,” he added.
Symes lost its reputation as a seller of priceless antiques when the Swiss warehouse was seized in 2016. He further denied trafficking in illegal art, but was often investigated but never charged due to limitations of the old laws.
Additionally, another 71 items, currently in the United States, are expected to be seized in the next few days, said Brigadier General Vincenzo Molinas, commander of the Carabinieri Art Squad.
The return of these 750 items marks another success in Italy’s efforts to recover its stolen treasures.
Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano said at a press conference: “The recovery of illegally stolen cultural heritage is one of the priorities of my program. It also means protecting our heritage from being looted by unscrupulous traffickers.” be stopped.”
