The “Orfeo e le Sirene” sculptural group has returned from the United States to Italy

Rome – He’s back Italy from the United States sculpture group Orpheus and the Nymphs of Alarm which, from 1From September 8 to October 15 2022will be shown in Preserved Art Museumwithin the limits Romanian National Museum, It will then be transferred to Marta – Archaeological Museum of Tarantowhere you will enter the group.

The work is dated to fourth century BC, came Stolen in the 70’s From an archaeological site in Taranto and later purchased by Paul Getty Museum in Malibu (Los Angeles – USA).

Repatriation was possible thanks to the complex investigation activity called Orpheus عملية processconducted in Italy and abroad before Carabinieri of the Department of Archeology of the Executive Department of the Leadership for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (TPC)in coordination The Public Prosecutor’s Office in TarantoIn cooperation with Office of the Attorney General in Manhattan (New York – USA) and here Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

As mentioned Dario FranceschiniAnd the Minister of Culture , Sculptor’s groupAfter moving to the Museum of Salvational Art, the sculptural collection will return to the area from which it was torn, in Taranto, and thus will enter the heritage of the National Archaeological Museum of the city. ”

The sculptural group remember Massimo OsanaAnd the Director General of Museums – It represents an ancient legend, and perhaps adorns the tomb of a master of the Orphic mysteries, who, by living a life in purity, ensured the soul another life. Mermaids, who look at Orpheus, are not what we imagine them to be today, that is, women with fishy bodies. They are represented as hybrid figures of a woman and a bird, according to the most ancient icons, which will be surpassed by the most familiar images to us only in the Middle Ages. The ensemble was originally painted, and we can assume that thanks to the painting there was an intense game of gaze among the sculptures, which really constitutes a unique example because such a legendary scene is rarely represented in clay, and we have no equal in the ancient world “.

“The Return of Orpheus and the Mermaids – Instead, emphasize the General B. Roberto RiccardiAnd the Commander of the Gendarmerie for the Protection of Cultural Heritage – It is one of the most important recoveries ever, in the history of the Carabinieri for the protection of cultural heritage and in the history of Italy. The beauty of legitimacy, after obtaining a return of assets through the courts, reflects the legitimacy of Jamal, an investigation that is put at the service of a discovery of unparalleled artistic value.”

“When a work of art of such inestimable value returns to its native land, it is a great achievement for everyone, not only for the world of art and archeology, but for the whole country that is restoring an essential piece of its origins and therefore of its culture”- finally commented Stefan VergerAnd the Director of the Romanian National Museum.

sculptural group

The sculptural group of terracotta depicts Orpheus – the legendary singer who, with his voice, can tame even Cerberus, the fierce dog of the underworld – and two sirens – frighten mythical beings with a mesmerizing voice that drives the sailors who pass by them crazy. According to legend, Orpheus defeated the nymphs during the return journey of the Argonauts, near an island in Sicily or southern Italy. Orpheus’ victory over the sirens is a triumphant symbol of musical harmony, a key concept of Pythagorean philosophical and political thought, particularly prevalent in the cities of Magna Graecia. The work was meticulously produced in this Western Greek environment, more specifically in a workshop in Taranto, where it was actually possible to discover it. Possibly coming from a funerary monument or temple, dating back to the end of the 4th century BC

Other things have been recovered

with Orpheus and the Nymphs of Alarm They are back home these days 142 pieces In the USA, which was returned last July. These origins can be traced back to between 2500 BC and the 6th century AD and date back to the Roman, Etruscan, Polynesian and Magnetic Graecia civilizations. On the occasion of the journey that the Carabinieri of the Cultural Heritage Protection Command witnessed touching New York and Los Angeles, on September 6 they were returned to Italy Others 58 That will be back in the coming months. This is an important stream of plagiarism archaeology. Along the same lines, another 201 galleries have been returned from the US since last December, part of which make up the gallery with which the Museum of Conservation Art opened on June 15.