The German army captain, responsible for the military supply chain in Italy during World War II, handed over the mosaic of a pair of lovers to a German citizen whose family have now returned it thanks to the Carabinieri of the Cultural Heritage Protection Unit (TPC) of Rome.
A work of great cultural interest, it was returned by the commander of the TPC, General Francesco Gargaro, to the Director General of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, Gabriel Zuchtriegel.
The panel dates between the mid-last century BC and the 1st century AD.
The heirs of the last owner contacted the Carabinieri of the TPC Unit in Rome.
The personnel of the Cultural Heritage Protection Command in Rome, realising they were dealing with a work of extraordinary cultural interest linked to the wartime plundering of artworks belonging to Italian state heritage, conducted investigations to establish its authenticity and provenance.
The investigation was coordinated with the Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office and enabled the mosaic’s repatriation on September 16, 2023.
The TPC’s significant collaboration with the Office for the Protection of Archaeological Heritage of the Pompeii Archaeological Park was crucial, allowing the artifact to be traced back to the Vesuvian area, despite limited information on its origins.
ANSA
