[MSN] An ancient statue and a marble head that were stolen in Rome in the 1980s were returned to Italy after authorities traced them to New York and Barcelona, Spain

[Museum Security Network Mailinglist]

2nd Century statue and marble head stolen in 1980s returned to Italy from
New York, Spain 

The Associated Press 
Tuesday, December 12, 2006 
ROME 
An ancient statue and a marble head that were stolen in Rome in the 1980s
were returned to Italy after authorities traced them to New York and
Barcelona, Spain, art officials said Tuesday.

The statue of a headless, togaed figure dating back to the 2nd Century was
recovered in 2002 after Italian police spotted it on Christie's auction
house catalog in New York, officials said.

The marble head, once belonging to a 2nd Century sculpture depicting a
female figure, was traced in 2005 to an antiquities shop in Barcelona, said
Col. Ferdinando Musella, an official with Italian anti-art theft police.

The head was stolen in 1983 in Rome, while the statue was seized three years
later while on display.

Italy is aggressively combatting the pillage of its archaeological and
artistic treasures.

The country's anti-art theft unit, founded in 1969, monitors some 6,000
archaeological sites. With the country's cultural patrimony so extensive,
many sites lack adequate surveillance to discourage theft.

http://www.iht.com/