Allard Pierson Museum Returns 3rd-Century BC Centuripe Pyxis to Sicily After Provenance Research
Due to issues surrounding its provenance, the Allard Pierson museum at the University of Amsterdam has returned a Centuripe pyxis from the 3rd century BC to authorities in Sicily. The vase, purchased in 1997 from a Swiss dealer who asserted it was owned prior to 1970, was relinquished last week following a restitution request from Italian police in 2017. Investigations invalidated the dealer's assertion, as a 1976 photograph of the vase was uncovered. While the Netherlands ratified the 1970 Unesco convention in 2009 and had no legal obligation, Rogier Kalkers, the provenance research head, emphasized the museum's moral responsibility to return the artifact. The vase, adorned with depictions of deities, will be showcased at the Centuripe Regional Archaeological Museum, fostering a new partnership.
Key facts
- The Allard Pierson museum returned a 3rd-century BC Centuripe pyxis to Sicilian authorities last week.
- The vase was acquired in 1997 at the Tefaf art fair in Maastricht from a Swiss dealer who claimed it had been in private ownership since before 1970.
- Italian police made a restitution request in 2017, nine years before the return.
- A roll of film found in Centuripe contained an image of the vase and a 1976 wedding photo, disproving the Swiss origin story.
- The Netherlands ratified the 1970 Unesco convention only in 2009, so the museum was not legally bound in this case.
- Rogier Kalkers, head of provenance research at the Allard Pierson, said the museum felt a moral duty to return the object.
- The vase is decorated with gods like Apollo observing a wedding scene and is thought to have been buried in a rock-cut tomb near Centuripe.
- The vase will be displayed at the Centuripe Regional Archaeological Museum.
Entities
Artists
- Rogier Kalkers
Institutions
- University of Amsterdam
- Allard Pierson
- Tefaf
- Unesco
- The Art Newspaper
- Centuripe Regional Archaeological Museum
- Associazione SiciliAntica
Locations
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Sicily
- Italy
- Maastricht
- Centuripe
- Rome
- Switzerland