The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen, which holds the largest collection of antiquities in northern Europe, has agreed to restitute illegally excavated artefacts to the Italian government. In an historic agreement under negotiation since 2012, the Danish museum will return the eighth-century BC bronze chariot, shield, weapons, incense burners and tableware from the tomb of an Etruscan prince, among other archaeological objects, to Italy between December and the end of 2017.
The pieces, believed to have come from the Sabine necropolis at Colle del Forno near Rome, could be sent to the Museo Civico Archeologico di Fara in Sabina, where additional material from the tomb—an unusually large structure indicating the special status of the deceased—is on display. A statement issued by the Glyptotek acknowledged that: "investigations have shown that the objects had been unearthed in illegal excavations in Italy and exported without licence".
According to the Danish newspaper Politiken, the museum will hand over around 500 items acquired in the 1970s through the late US ancient art dealer Robert Hecht. Hecht was tried by Italian courts in 2005 for conspiring to receive antiquities that had been illegally excavated and exported from Italy. The case against him ended without a verdict in 2012 after the statute of limitations expired. He died weeks later, aged 92.
The director of the Glyptotek, Flemming Friborg, confirmed that the objects to be restituted were "mainly acquired" from Hecht, who "at that time was regarded as a respectable individual". Friborg says: "With the benefit of hindsight it is clear that these acquisitions should not have been made, but judging the past by the moral and ethical standards of the present is seldom constructive."
"What at first looked as if it would turn into a legal, political deadlock, has now, through an intense academic dialogue been transformed into a powerful and visionary agreement," Friborg says. In exchange for the long-awaited restitution, the Italian ministry of culture has pledged to lend significant artefacts to the Danish museum on continuous rotation. The Glyptotek will also collaborate more closely with Italian institutions on research and exhibitions. The first Italian loans are due to feature in the museum’s new presentation of its antiquities collection.