Ever since the 1770s when William Hamilton collected and exported Greek vases
found in the excavations of Pompeii , ancient artifacts and tomb robbers ( tombaroli
) have been part of the Italian
scene.
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| William Hamilton |
According
to the Carabinieri, the theft of
Italy’s art and
archeological patrimony is fourth
on the list of crime in Italy, after arms,
drugs and financial crime.
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| silver helmet |
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| funerary urn with myth of Enomao |
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| Apulian red figure plate |
Many of
these objects have been looted from tombs and
necropoli in Etruria, in central Italy or from the Puglia region.
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| gilded copper, coral encrusted pyx |
On
show until mid-March I Tesori : La Memoria Ritrovata at
Palazzo Qurinale in Rome, an exhibit of
over 100 objects found
and returned to Italy by the Carabinieri.
Among the precious objects are 23 funerary urns stolen from the
Perugia area, Greek vases, silver and
coral objects.
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| funerary urn |
Here are a few books on the subject that I recommend for those wanting more background on the criminal looting of Italy's ancient treasures.
The names recurring in all these books are those of dishonest curators at prestigious American museums, dodgy auction houses, and intermediaries who smuggled looted treasures dug up by tombaroli.
 |
| magnificent horses on an Apulian oinochoe |
Another excellent exhibit featuring
fine arts, antiquities and
treasures is now on in Rome until February 16th: The
Treasure of San Gennaro at Palazzo Sciarra on Via del Corso in Rome.
Between March 1 and June 30, Trajan's Market (Mercati di Traiano) will play host to an exhibit on the
excavations of Cencelle .
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| Cencelle near Tolfa |
Cencelle, considered the Pompeii of the
Middle Ages, is located on the
hills near Civitavecchia and Tolfa.
I wrote about Cencelle as a perfect day trip for cruise passengers docking in Civitavecchia in "Etruria, travel, history and itineraries in central Italy "
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| photo by Agostino Cecchini |
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| Cencelle excavations |
Check my website , (Google rated as the top site for buying antiques in Italy) for more itineraries and information about antiques in Italy.
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We saw the Treasures of San Gennaro - jaw dropping!
ReplyDeleteA gang of tombaroli figure in my novel soon to be finished.
Thanks for comment, Judith, cant wait to see your new novel with tombaroli. Did you meet any while here in Etruria?
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