In its quest for missing objects, the British Museum is gradually moving forward. The museum announced that it had found an additional 268, bringing the total number of objects recovered to 626 out of the 1,500 that had been stolen from it in August 2023.
“ Thanks to some clever detective work and a network of supporters, we have achieved a remarkable result: more than 600 objects are back with us, and a further 100 have been identified » explains George Osborne, president of the British Museum. The objects found had been scattered throughout Europe and North America, some of them having been sold on eBay. Among them are a cameo of Cupid (1st century BC – 1st century AD), a Roman intaglio with the mask of Silenus (end of the 1st century BC – 1st century AD) and an intaglio with the profile of Minerva (end of the 1st century BC – 1st century AD).
Last month, the British Museum prosecuted former curator Peter Higgs for theft, who was ordered to provide an exhaustive list of stolen objects and return those still in his possession. The museum continues its search for the remaining missing items, continuing to post photographs of some recovered artifacts on its website to provide clues as to the type of objects stolen.
