Greece seeks Parthenon sculpture from German museum

Sorry, sorry, I knew I said no more news, but the whole "Parthenon Marbles" discussion is my catnip! Greek Reporter reports that Greece has taken action to reclaim a Parthenon sculpture from a German museum.

An international group advocating the return of marble sculptures taken from Greece’s historic Parthenon temple has been actively seeking the repatriation.Greece’s government is now officially asking a German museum for the return of a head sculpture which once graced the Athens Parthenon. The sculpture, a centaur’s head which was located in the metope of Parthenon, has been an exhibit at the Martin Von Wagner museum in the University of Wurzburg for the past 160 years. It is 2,400 years old and was part of the Parthenon metope piece which has been in the British Museum in London for the past 200 years.

The piece came into Martin Von Wagner’s possession in the early 19th century from a private Italian art collection. The German painter, sculptor and art collector had no idea that the sculpture was part of the Parthenon when he acquired it.

The Greek government is now officially asking for its return but University of Wurzburg archaeology professor and museum director Jochen Griesbach refuses to comply with the request. Griesbach claims the museum has been receiving letters from a Swiss committee for the reunification of the Parthenon sculptures for years, but he also refuses the requests.

“We receive letters regularly from Switzerland, but the answer is always the same: Unfortunately we cannot return the object.”

The main argument for the German university refusing any such request, is that the sculpture was a donation by Wagner who, in an 1858 manuscript, had implicitly stipulated that it is not to be sold, transported or donated.