ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Getty Museum to Return Ancient Sculpture Group and Four Other Artifacts to Italy

cultural-heritage · 2026-04-27

In September, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles will send back the life-size terracotta sculpture group "Orpheus and the Sirens," dating from the 4th century BC, to Italy. Additionally, four artifacts will be returned: a colossal marble head from the 2nd century AD, a stone mold for pendants from the same century, an oil painting titled "Oracle at Delphi" by Camillo Miola from 1881, and a 4th-century BC Etruscan bronze thymiaterion. This return follows a 2007 agreement with the Italian Ministry of Culture, initiated by insights from Matthew Bogdanos. Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini noted that the pieces will initially be showcased at the Museo dell'arte salvata before making their way back to Taranto.

Key facts

  • The J. Paul Getty Museum will return the 'Orpheus and the Sirens' sculpture group to Italy.
  • The terracotta figures date from the second half of the 4th century BC and originate from Taranto.
  • Four additional artifacts will also be returned: a marble head, a stone mold, a painting by Camillo Miola, and an Etruscan thymiaterion.
  • The sculpture group was removed from display and will be transported to Rome in September.
  • The restitution was prompted by evidence from the Manhattan DA's Antiquities Trafficking Unit.
  • The works were acquired by J. Paul Getty and the museum in the 1970s and 1996.
  • Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini announced the works will be displayed at the Museo dell'arte salvata before returning to Taranto.
  • The National Archaeological Museum of Taranto (MArTA) hopes to host the sculptures permanently.

Entities

Artists

  • Camillo Miola

Institutions

  • J. Paul Getty Museum
  • Getty Trust
  • Italian Ministry of Culture
  • Ministero della Cultura
  • Comando Carabinieri Tutela del Patrimonio Culturale
  • Museo dell'arte salvata
  • Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Taranto (MArTA)
  • Manhattan District Attorney's Antiquities Trafficking Unit
  • Senato della Repubblica

Locations

  • Los Angeles
  • Italy
  • Rome
  • Taranto
  • Pesaro
  • Manhattan

Sources