BRITISH MUSEUM SEEKS RECOVERY OF STOLEN ITEMS

 

The British Museum has launched a new section of its website dedicated to the recovery of 2,000 items that were stolen from its collection. Launching the public appeal today, the museum invites anyone who is concerned that [they] may be, or have been, in possession of the missing objects to get in touch by email.

Up until now, the museum's investigation into the items whereabouts has taken place behind closed doors in partnership with London's Metropolitan Police, with actions like monitoring the art market and registering the items on the Art Loss Register. These steps appear to have had some modest success, with 60 of these pieces now safely returned and a further 300 identified and soon to be returned.

The museum has chosen not to share all the details about which items remain missing on the advice of recovery specialists, although it is also likely that it is not able to list every item as many were never catalogued. Instead, it offers a guide to what kind of pieces are missing, predominantly ancient gems and jewelry from Greece and Rome.

A spokesperson for the Art Loss Register told The Art Newspaper that this policy may help prevent bad actors who discover they possess some of the antiquities from selling them through channels were fewer questions are asked or by trying to sell items for their material value by melting them down. So far what information the museum does have about the missing items has only been shared with members of the antiquities and jewelry trade.

Those in possession of the treasures may well have snapped them up on eBay, where Higgs allegedly listed the stolen goods over the course of several years.

To read the complete article, see:
The British Museum Has Launched a Website Seeking the Recovery of 2,000 Objects That Were Stolen From Its Collection (https://news.artnet.com/art-world/british-museum-recovery-website-2368060)

See also:
British Museum asks public and experts to help recover stolen artefacts (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66921621)

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
BRITISH MUSEUM GRAPPLES WITH THEFTS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n35a23.html)
BRITISH MUSEUM GRAPPLES WITH THEFTS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n36a14.html)

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