Key actors — tap for context
Allard Pierson Museum
archaeological museum in Amsterdam
Why here: returned the vessel after its illegal excavation was proven
Centuripe
town in Sicily
Why here: where the vessel originates from and is being returned to
Laurien de Gelder
museum conservator
Why here: commented on the farewell to the vessel
The origin was revealed by a film reel found by Sicilian researchers that belonged to a former photographer from Centuripe. Alongside family snapshots, it captured the work of grave robbers, including this vessel, and also contained a wedding photograph from 1976. The negatives were discovered while preparing a local photography exhibition. According to Folia, the images prove that the vessel was still in Sicily after 1970, that is, after the adoption of the UNESCO convention, which requires that finds without a documented provenance date from before that year. Folia ↗
The Netherlands only ratified the convention in 2009, and according to NOS, the stricter rules are not applied retroactively, which is why a court did not decide on the return and the museum did it voluntarily. The ceremony was attended by a Sicilian delegation, carabinieri, and a representative of the Italian embassy. Conservator Laurien de Gelder said: "Saying goodbye always hurts a little, but it serves a higher purpose." NOS ↗
*Illustrative photo: visitors at a table with ceramic shards at the Allard Pierson Museum (NearEMPTiness, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0). Does not depict the returned vessel.*
