Two Libyan antiquities worth almost £1M to be returned after being smuggled and hidden by British collector

The Manhattan District Attorney's office has announced the return of two antiques worth $1.26 million (£961,915) to Libya, which has previously been smuggled and held by British art dealer, Robin Symes. 

The two statues, called Marble Face of a Ptolemaic Queen and Female Bust were looted from Cyrene, a Libyan ancient city, for Syme's collection, and were kept in storage in New York for over 20 years. 

The return comes as archaeologists in Libya recently discovered what appears to be the torso of the female bust in its original tomb back in the ancient city. 

The items were returned during a repatriation ceremony attended by the Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of Libya Khaled Daief, and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Thomas Acocella.

“It is shameful that these beautiful pieces were stored away for decades by a convicted trafficker. Cyrene has faced significant looting, but thanks to the work of our Antiquities Trafficking Unit and partners at Homeland Security, we have now returned several pieces from this ancient city back to the people of Libya. We continue to have ongoing investigations into stolen Libyan artefacts and look forward to more repatriation ceremonies in the future,” said District Attorney Bragg.

Libyan Chargé d’Affaires Khaled Daief said: “After a thorough investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, we are grateful for the opportunity to repatriate these cultural artefacts. We would like to express our highest appreciation and gratitude for the efforts undertaken by the New York District Attorney and his staff, the Department of Homeland Security, and everyone that worked to ensure that these invaluable Libyan artefacts return to their homeland in Libya.”

"Rampant looting" of Cyrene during the late 1980s and 1990s led to the two antiques first appearing on the international art market. 

This is the fourth repatriation involving looted antiquities connected to Symes from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office in the last five months.

Is art now being returned to its native city? 

Some major European cities are returning native artefacts to their home. In 2022, the British Museum said it would return dozens of artefacts to the Nigeran government after they were forcibly taken over a century ago. 

The Horniman Museum and Gardens in London plans to hand over 72 objects — which notably include a share of sculptures known as Benin bronzes - which were forcibly seized during a British military invasion in 1897, according to the museum's Board of Trustees.

In August 2022, Glaswegian museums also announced the return of seven stolen artefacts from India - which includes a ceremonial Indo-Persian tulwar, a type of sword, which is believed to date back to the 14th century; three carved stone pillar fragments from a 10th-century temple in Kanpur; a sandstone carving of the Hindu Goddess Uma or Durga; and an 11th century carved stone door jamb taken from a Hindu temple in Kanpur.

Some of these objects are over 1,000 years old. Six were removed from temples and shrines in different states in Northern India during the 19th century, while the tulwar was stolen in 1905 from the collection of the Nizam (ruler) of Hyderabad by his prime minister, who then sold it to the British general Sir Archibald Hunter.

In 2021, a 4,250-year-old gold ewer from modern-day Turkey, which was on long-term loan by a private collector at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, was returned to Ankara after researchers found it was likely illegally looted and smuggled out of Turkey unbeknownst to the late donor, whose trust agreed to hand it over. 

A court in Amsterdam has also ruled the city’s Allard Pierson Museum must return a host of objects from Crimea back to Ukraine, despite pressure from Russian authorities who say they will appeal the decision.