[MSN] Four prized artifacts from the J. Paul Getty Museum in California returned to Italy on Tuesday, the first of 40 works to be handed over by the Getty as a result of Italy's efforts to recover antiquities it says were looted and sold to museums.

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First 4 Getty Works Return to Italy
By NICOLE WINFIELD - 1 day ago 

ROME (AP) - Four prized artifacts from the J. Paul Getty Museum in
California returned to Italy on Tuesday, the first of 40 works to be handed
over by the Getty as a result of Italy's efforts to recover antiquities it
says were looted and sold to museums.


Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli announced that the four works, which he
said were insured for about $425 million, would be distributed to Italian
museums.

One of the works was a highly prized vase attributed to the 5th century B.C.
Greek painter Euphronios.

The delivery was the first since Getty Director Michael Brand signed a deal
with Rutelli last week to return 40 contested artifacts from the Getty's Los
Angeles collection that Italy says were looted from its territory.

The Getty has always denied knowingly buying illegally obtained objects, and
Italy's deal with the museum includes no admission of guilt.

It calls for all but one of the treasures to be transferred to Italy by
year's end. The last and most prized work, a 5th century B.C. statue of the
goddess Aphrodite, will remain at the Getty until 2010.

In exchange, Italy will lend the Los Angeles museum other artifacts for up
to four years each. The agreement also provides for cultural cooperation,
including research projects and joint exhibitions.

The four objects returned Tuesday include a red-figured ceramic vase known
as a kantharos, with masks of Dionysos and a satyr. The work, which is
believed to date from 480 B.C., is attributed to Euphronios.

Another Euphronios work, a large vase known as a krater and considered one
of the finest examples of its kind, was at the heart of Italy's negotiations
with Metropolitan Museum in New York over its disputed antiquities.

The Met agreed last year to return the Euphronios Krater to Italy by Jan.
15, 2008. It also pledged to turn over several pieces of Hellenistic silver
and Greek earthenware.

In addition to the Euphronios, the other Getty artifacts include a fragment
of a wall fresco from the 1st century B.C. depicting Hercules; an Etruscan
terra-cotta statue from the 5th century B.C.; and a vase depicting a garden
scene dating from 350 B.C. and attributed to the potter Asteas.

Former Getty curator Marion True is on trial in Rome accused of knowingly
acquiring ancient treasures that Italy maintains were stolen or unearthed
illegally and smuggled out of the country. True denies wrongdoing.

Italy last week announced it was dropping a civil lawsuit against True
following the deal with the Getty, though criminal charges remain. The
lawsuit had demanded the return of the disputed objects.

The return of the works from the Getty was the latest stage in an aggressive
new campaign by countries including Italy and Greece to pressure museums and
private collectors to return artifacts looted from their territories. In
addition to the Getty and the Met, Italy has struck a deal with Boston's
Museum of Fine Arts to return disputed treasures.

In recent months, the Getty has also returned four allegedly looted
artifacts to Greece.

Rutelli also announced on Tuesday a government initiative to encourage
Italians to contribute to preserving seven sites of cultural importance
across the country.

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