New York returns more than 40 stolen antiquities to Italy

New York authorities returned more than 40 stolen antiquities to Italy on Tuesday worth nearly $3.5 million. The move came as part of the U.S. steps to shake off the reputation as a key global hub for illicit art trade.

According to a statement from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the authorities handed back 42 exceptional pieces – some of which were 2,500 years old – to Italian officials during a ceremony in New York.

“We continue to undo the damage wrought by decades of well-organised antiquities smuggling networks throughout Italy,” Bragg said.

He also said that more than 200 antiquities have been sent back to their home in Italy since he took office in 2022.

Among the works found and returned was a vase from the region of Apulia in southern Italy which dates back to 335 BC.

The vase was stolen from a burial site before it was smuggled abroad by Giacomo Medici, a notorious trafficker of Italian antiquities.

Since 2017, New York prosecutors have returned pieces that were smuggled from around 20 countries between the 1970s and 1990s.

These include works from ancient Greece, the Roman and Byzantine empires, Iraq, China, India and Southeast Asia.