The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) Boston has returned a gold necklace adorned with a dark orange carnelian stone to Turkey, where it is believed to have been looted from a tomb in 1976. This ancient artifact, dating back to 550–450 B.C.E., was acquired by the museum from a London dealer in 1982, during a time when the art and antiques market was less vigilant about ensuring the legitimacy of an item's provenance.
The MFA's candid acknowledgment of the necklace's dubious acquisition and potential looting provides a rare level of transparency in the deaccessioning process. This comes as many museums in the U.S. and Europe face growing pressure to repatriate stolen artifacts.
The museum first learned of the necklace's possible looted status through a scholarly essay published in 2015, which highlighted its resemblance to beads and fragments displayed at the Manisa Archaeological Museum in Turkey. These items were excavated in 1976 from the Bintepeler Necropolis, a site that had been targeted by looters. Given the similarities, it is likely that the necklace was stolen from the same location.
Upon discovering this connection, the MFA began investigating the necklace and the circumstances surrounding the looting at Bintepeler. Late last year, the museum contacted Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, which conducted its research to substantiate the claim. An agreement was reached for the legal transfer of the necklace.
When the MFA purchased the necklace in 1982, it did not receive any provenance records, which are now standard practice. The museum was only informed that the item originated from “Asia Minor,” a term referring to ancient Anatolia, present-day Turkey.
A particularly compelling piece of evidence suggesting the necklace may have been stolen is its small size of just eight inches in length, indicating it might have fragmented during smuggling.
Phoebe Segal, the MFA Boston's senior curator for Greek and Roman antiquities, remarked, “Most of the time, you don’t have the full item, actually, and we know that that’s true in this case.” She noted that the necklace's small size should have raised suspicions, stating, “I think if we were approaching this now, we would say, ‘Why is this necklace so small?’”
Victoria Reed, senior curator for provenance; Hilal Demirel, attaché for cultural affairs and promotion; and Pierre Terjanian, chief of curatorial affairs and conservation, examine the necklace being transferred back to Turkey. Courtesy of MFA Boston
Hilal Demirel, an attaché for cultural affairs and promotion at Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, emphasized the importance of protecting and restoring Turkey’s cultural heritage. “The return of an object that was illegally removed from Turkey is a symbolic moment that sends a strong message to the world, highlighting the necessity of international cooperation in the preservation of cultural heritage,” she said.
Over the past decade, numerous major museums in the U.S. and Europe have begun collaborating with scholars and foreign governments to repatriate looted objects from their collections. In April, the MFA Boston, which now has a full-time curator for provenance, returned a ceramic child's coffin to the Gustavianum at Uppsala University Museum in Sweden. This item had disappeared from the museum before 1970 and was sold to the MFA in 1985 with falsified documents.
Authorities have also intensified efforts to combat historical crimes of looting and art smuggling, ensuring repatriation even when museums resist. Last year, a collection of Turkish art was seized by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office during raids on U.S. museums as part of an ongoing investigation into a smuggling network involving antiquities looted from Turkey. Among the repatriated items was a Roman bronze leg dating from 180–200 C.E., deaccessioned on October 12, 2023.
One notable item recently repatriated was a 1,800-year-old bronze statue of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, valued at $20 million. It had been on display at the Cleveland Art Museum since 1986, which claimed there was no evidence the sculpture had been stolen. Reports indicated that the museum was uncooperative when Turkey first made restitution claims over a decade ago. The growing call for repatriation has become increasingly difficult to ignore.
Sayart / Amia Nguyen, amyngwyen13@gmail.com
Necklace from 550-450 BCE. Courtesy of MFA Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) Boston has returned a gold necklace adorned with a dark orange carnelian stone to Turkey, where it is believed to have been looted from a tomb in 1976. This ancient artifact, dating back to 550–450 B.C.E., was acquired by the museum from a London dealer in 1982, during a time when the art and antiques market was less vigilant about ensuring the legitimacy of an item's provenance.
The MFA's candid acknowledgment of the necklace's dubious acquisition and potential looting provides a rare level of transparency in the deaccessioning process. This comes as many museums in the U.S. and Europe face growing pressure to repatriate stolen artifacts.
The museum first learned of the necklace's possible looted status through a scholarly essay published in 2015, which highlighted its resemblance to beads and fragments displayed at the Manisa Archaeological Museum in Turkey. These items were excavated in 1976 from the Bintepeler Necropolis, a site that had been targeted by looters. Given the similarities, it is likely that the necklace was stolen from the same location.
Upon discovering this connection, the MFA began investigating the necklace and the circumstances surrounding the looting at Bintepeler. Late last year, the museum contacted Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, which conducted its research to substantiate the claim. An agreement was reached for the legal transfer of the necklace.
When the MFA purchased the necklace in 1982, it did not receive any provenance records, which are now standard practice. The museum was only informed that the item originated from “Asia Minor,” a term referring to ancient Anatolia, present-day Turkey.
A particularly compelling piece of evidence suggesting the necklace may have been stolen is its small size of just eight inches in length, indicating it might have fragmented during smuggling.
Phoebe Segal, the MFA Boston's senior curator for Greek and Roman antiquities, remarked, “Most of the time, you don’t have the full item, actually, and we know that that’s true in this case.” She noted that the necklace's small size should have raised suspicions, stating, “I think if we were approaching this now, we would say, ‘Why is this necklace so small?’”
Victoria Reed, senior curator for provenance; Hilal Demirel, attaché for cultural affairs and promotion; and Pierre Terjanian, chief of curatorial affairs and conservation, examine the necklace being transferred back to Turkey. Courtesy of MFA Boston
Hilal Demirel, an attaché for cultural affairs and promotion at Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, emphasized the importance of protecting and restoring Turkey’s cultural heritage. “The return of an object that was illegally removed from Turkey is a symbolic moment that sends a strong message to the world, highlighting the necessity of international cooperation in the preservation of cultural heritage,” she said.
Over the past decade, numerous major museums in the U.S. and Europe have begun collaborating with scholars and foreign governments to repatriate looted objects from their collections. In April, the MFA Boston, which now has a full-time curator for provenance, returned a ceramic child's coffin to the Gustavianum at Uppsala University Museum in Sweden. This item had disappeared from the museum before 1970 and was sold to the MFA in 1985 with falsified documents.
Authorities have also intensified efforts to combat historical crimes of looting and art smuggling, ensuring repatriation even when museums resist. Last year, a collection of Turkish art was seized by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office during raids on U.S. museums as part of an ongoing investigation into a smuggling network involving antiquities looted from Turkey. Among the repatriated items was a Roman bronze leg dating from 180–200 C.E., deaccessioned on October 12, 2023.
One notable item recently repatriated was a 1,800-year-old bronze statue of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, valued at $20 million. It had been on display at the Cleveland Art Museum since 1986, which claimed there was no evidence the sculpture had been stolen. Reports indicated that the museum was uncooperative when Turkey first made restitution claims over a decade ago. The growing call for repatriation has become increasingly difficult to ignore.
