Toledo Museum and Ethiopian Heritage Authority Partner to Repatriate Five Artefacts

The Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) has announced a new partnership with the Ethiopian Heritage Authority (EHA) to repatriate five objects from a private collection to Ethiopia. The objects, which were donated by collector Bob McCarthy, lack provenance documentation, placing them in what TMA officials call 'objects in limbo.' The partnership aims to research and return these artefacts, including a 15th-century Book of Revelation with Horologium and three crosses, over a 20-year agreement. The first decade will focus on research, capacity building, and restitution, while the second will address the long-term disposition of returned objects. TMA's director Adam M. Levine and assistant director Sophie Ong emphasized the importance of moving from ownership to stewardship and fostering international dialogue. The initiative is linked to the reinstallation of the museum's Cloister gallery, which will highlight connections between Ethiopia, Armenia, and Byzantine and Islamic Empires. The objects were identified as having been illegally removed from Ethiopia post-1970, a period when provenance standards were less stringent. The partnership is seen as a model for other museums dealing with similar issues.