Statue of Zeus Enthroned repatriated to Italy

The J. Paul Getty Museum has announced the voluntary return of a marble statuette representing Zeus which dates to about 100 B.C. The Museum made its decision to return the Statue of Zeus Enthroned, a 29-inch high marble statuette, following thorough consideration of information provided by Italian officials, including a recently discovered fragment of the statue.

The sculpture may originally have served as a cult statue in a private shrine of a wealthy Greek or Roman home. It appears to have spent a long period of time submerged in the sea and is partly covered in heavy marine incrustations. The Museum acquired the sculpture in 1992. Timothy Potts, director of the J. Paul Getty Museum, stated:

“The Getty values greatly its relationships with Italian colleagues in museums and other cultural sectors. The decision to return this object continues our practice of working with the Ministry to resolve issues of provenance and ownership of works in our collection in a way that responds to new information as it emerges, and respects the good faith and cultural missions of both parties.”

The ancient sculpture was returned to Italian authorities today at the Getty Center under the supervision of the Italian Consul General for Los Angeles, Antonio Verde, and with the invaluable cooperation of Armando Varricchio, Italy’s Ambassador to the United States.

“The return of the Statue of Zeus Enthroned is a vivid demonstration of the superb cooperation between the United States and Italy and our cultural institutions. It falls within the framework of the bilateral Memorandum of Understanding between Italy and the US, renewed in 2016 for the third time, and underscores our common unwavering commitment to the protection of cultural heritage.”

Consul General Verde complimented the Getty’s decision to return the object, saying:

“It is wonderful that the Getty has such a positive working relationship with Italy, both for issues like this one that involve the repatriation of works of art and for special exhibitions and loans which display Italian masterpieces at the Museum.”

This repatriation follows in the wake of a more controversial one: back in May, the United States returned stolen artifacts worth at least $90,000, dating back as far as the 8th century BC but looted and trafficked overseas, to Italy. The items include a Sardinian bronze ox and Sardinian bronze warrior from the 8th century BC, a Greek bronze Herakles from the 3rd or 4th century BC and a 4th-century BC drinking cup depicting two goats butting heads. There was also a wine jug decorated with rams and panthers dated 650 BC, a 340 BC oil flask depicting a man holding a plate of fruit and a similar flask decorated with a man holding a lyre, dating back to 430 BC.

Six of the items were seized from a Manhattan gallery in April as part of an ongoing investigation into international antiquities trafficking. The seventh object was seized from a different gallery in another part of Midtown Manhattan, US officials said.The antiquities were stolen in the 1990s from burial sites and places of archaeological significance in Italy before they were smuggled overseas.