A mosaic panel depicting lovers, stolen from Pompeii by a German Nazi captain during WWII, has been returned to Italy. The mosaic, dating from between the last century BC and the first century AD, was gifted to a deceased German citizen by a Wehrmacht captain. Relatives contacted Italy's art crime police, prompting repatriation through diplomatic channels. Gabriel Zuchtriegel from Pompeii expressed gratitude for the return, stating that each looted artefact's return heals historical wounds related to illicit antiquities trafficking.
A mosaic panel stolen from Pompeii by a German Nazi captain during World War II has been returned to the ancient site in southern Italy.
The mosaic dates from between the last century BC and the first century AD, depicting a pair of lovers, with a naked woman standing over her partner.
Every looted artefact that returns is a wound that heals, so we express our gratitude to the carabinieri protection unit for the work they have done.
Gabriel Zuchtriegel emphasized that the wound lies not so much in the material value of the work but in its historical value.
Collection
[
|
...
]