The return of 30 antiquities to Greece, worth a total of $3.7 million, was announced Friday by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in New York.
The pieces were returned to Greek authorities during a repatriation ceremony attended by Greek Consul General Konstantinos Konstantinou, Secretary General of Culture Georgios Didaskalou and Deputy Special Agent in Charge for U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Thomas Acocella.
Nineteen of the pieces were voluntarily given to New York gallerist Michael Ward, while three of the pieces were seized from British art dealer Robin Symes.
Deputy Prosecutor Matthew Bogdanos, head of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit and senior trial counsel, oversaw the investigations, among others, while investigative support was provided by the department’s Elena Vlachogianni and Vasiliki Papageorgiou documentation and protection of cultural property of the Greek Ministry of Culture. .
“Cultural heritage is an integral part of our identity as a people and a nation. It is therefore essential, and today crucial, to protect and preserve cultural heritage for future generations. I express my gratitude for the continued and fruitful cooperation with the New York District Attorney’s Office and for the return of the 30 antiquities to Greece,” said Greek Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni.
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Some of the key pieces returned include:
– Marble Aphrodite: This marble statue is based on the famous Aphrodite of Knidos and was recovered from a warehouse that belonged to convicted trafficker Robin Symes, where it had been hidden since at least 1999.
– Cycladic Marble Figurine: Originally quarried illegally from the Cyclades Islands of the Aegean Sea, this four-thousand-year-old marble figurine was seized from a storage unit owned by a New York-based private collector by the ATU earlier This year.
– Corinthian Helmet: This bronze Corinthian helmet is an example of a popular helmet style for ancient Greek warriors, particularly in the Archaic and Classical periods (ca. 700 BCE-350 BCE). It was smuggled out of Greece, given false provenance from Germany, and placed on consignment with New York art dealer Michael Ward, who pleaded guilty to fourth-degree criminal facilitation and admitted to purchasing antiques stolen on consignment through his gallery as part of this affair. money laundering allegedly orchestrated by Eugene Alexander.
SOURCE; ANA-MPA
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