In the context of a stolen historical artifact operation in the USA, it was announced that an artwork, which was revealed to have been smuggled from Turkey, will be returned.
According to a news article in Sözcü, a bronze bust worth 5 million dollars, which has been displayed at the Worcester Art Museum for 60 years, is believed to belong to the daughter of the 16th Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius or the 21st Roman Emperor Septimus Severus.
According to the museum’s statement, the bust has been handed over to the New York District Attorney’s Office to be sent to Türkiye. The statement mentioned that the museum acquired the artwork titled “A Portrait of a Woman” in 1966 without obtaining sufficient information about its origin. During the prosecution’s investigation, evidence was found indicating that the artwork had been illegally brought into the United States.
Last month, the Marcus Aurelius statue displayed at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Ohio, which Türkiye had requested to be returned, was seized. The United States returned historical artifacts worth 4.6 million dollars to Türkiye last year.
