DUBAI: Three ancient Mesopotamian artifacts once housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York have been returned to Iraq after an investigation into art trafficking linked to the late British antiquities dealer Robin Symes, authorities announced on Monday.
The return was confirmed in statements by the Met and the Manhattan district attorney’s office, which led the criminal investigation. The artifacts — a Sumerian gypsum vessel from about 2600-2500 BC and two Babylonian ceramic heads dated about 2000-1600 BC — were among 135 looted antiquities linked to Symes and seized earlier this year.
According to The New York Times, the male head sculpture was sold to the Met by Symes in 1972, while the female head and the Sumerian vessel were gifts from a private collection in 1989. All three are believed to have originated from ancient Mesopotamian sites, including Isin and Ur, now in modern-day Iraq.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr. said the seizure and return are part of broader efforts to undo the “significant damage traffickers have caused to our worldwide cultural heritage.”
The repatriation was formalized in a ceremony in Lower Manhattan attended by Iraqi officials and Met representatives. The museum said that it had acted upon “new information” received through the DA’s investigation that clarified the artifacts’ illicit provenance.
Authorities estimate the value of the 135 items trafficked through Symes and recovered in New York at $58 million.
