Drusus Head Revisited

Steve Litt reports that the Cleveland Museum of Art is returning a marble head depicting Drusus Minor to Italy because the object was stolen in 1944.

When the Cleveland Museum acquired the ancient piece in 2012, several commentators raised questions about its provenance. Among them were David Gill.

CHL conducted its own research and published a post in August 2012 titled, “Unable to Obtain Documentary Confirmation” – Due Diligence and Questions Posed by the Collecting History of The Cleveland Museum of Art’s Drusus Minor Head.” The post is worth revisiting in light of this week’s repatriation announcement.

Photo source: Cleveland Museum of Art

Text and original photos copyrighted by Cultural Heritage Lawyer, a blog commenting on matters of cultural property law, art law, cultural heritage policy, antiquities trafficking, and museum risk management. Blog url: culturalheritagelawyer.blogspot.com. Any unauthorized reproduction or retransmission of any blog post without the express written consent of CHL is prohibited. CHL is a service of Red Arch Cultural Heritage Law & Policy Research, Inc.