Dutch museum returns ancient vase to Sicily after provenance investigation

The Allard Pierson Archaeology Museum in Amsterdam has voluntarily returned an ancient vase to Sicily on Wednesday after research raised questions about its provenance, according to broadcaster NOS.

The Centuripe pyxis, a third-century B.C. storage vessel depicting a wedding scene watched by the Greek god Apollo, had been part of the museum’s collection for nearly 30 years.

The museum bought the vase from a Swiss dealer at the Tefaf art fair in Maastricht in 1997. Its provenance documents and an export license were missing.

The seller claimed the vase had been in private Swiss ownership before 1970. But a roll of film Sicilian researchers discovered in 2016 showed the vase among objects handled by grave robbers in Centuripe, Sicily.

The film also contained a wedding photograph dated 1976, contradicting the claimed timeline of Swiss ownership.

“Clearly, things did not go by the book,” said Rogier Kalkers, who leads provenance research at the museum.

Kalkers said restitution was not legally mandatory because stricter rules introduced in the Netherlands in 2009 do not apply retroactively.

“There has been a grey area for museums, collectors, and dealers for forty years,” he said.

“We want to take responsibility and therefore distance ourselves from it,” said the museum.

An Italian delegation, including Sicily’s heritage minister, Carabinieri officers and a representative of the Italian Embassy, attended the handover.

“This is not a conclusion, but a stepping stone to joint follow-up research,” said Kalkers.