Allard Pierson returns looted vase to Sicily
A Centuripe pyxis returns to Italy after almost thirty years in the Amsterdam collection.
The Allard Pierson has voluntarily handed an ancient vase over to an Italian delegation. Research involving an old roll of film suggested that the object had been illegally excavated in Sicily.
The return concerns a so-called Centuripe pyxis, a richly decorated storage vessel from the third century BC. The object has been part of the Amsterdam archaeological museum’s collection since 1997 and was handed over on Wednesday to representatives of Sicily, including heritage specialists and members of the Italian carabinieri.
The museum bought the vase at the Tefaf fair in Maastricht from a Swiss dealer at the time. The purchase lacked provenance documentation and an export licence. According to the seller at the time, the piece had already been in Swiss private ownership before 1970, but that timeline later proved untenable.
The breakthrough came in 2016, when Sicilian researchers found a roll of film in the possession of a former village photographer from Centuripe. The photographs showed activities and archaeological finds linked to grave robbing. A wedding photograph from 1976 helped date the material. The pyxis was also visible on the roll of film.
Legally, the return was not automatically required, according to the museum. The Netherlands introduced stricter rules for protecting archaeological heritage only later, meaning those rules could not automatically be applied retroactively to this purchase. Nevertheless, the museum decided that the provenance was sufficient reason to take responsibility.
The case shows how difficult provenance research can be. An object can end up in a museum through dealers and private collections, while the original excavation site and the circumstances in which it was obtained remain unclear. Archival material, photographs and local knowledge can still undermine an earlier interpretation years later.
The Allard Pierson says it wants to continue working with Sicilian experts. The museum intends not only to investigate the question of ownership, but also to consider shared management and joint knowledge about comparable objects. The return is therefore not the end of the case, according to the museum, but the beginning of further research into the collection.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The factual core is described directly by NOS and is consistent with earlier museum documentation. The text presents the illegal provenance as the conclusion of the research, not as a legally established criminal offence.
- confirmed The Allard Pierson handed the Centuripe pyxis over to an Italian delegation. — NOS describes the transfer and the museum object involved. source
- confirmed The vase dates from the third century BC. — The dating is stated in the NOS article. source
- confirmed The museum bought the vase in 1997 at Tefaf in Maastricht. — This purchase history is reported by NOS. source
- confirmed A roll of film found in 2016 brought its earlier provenance to light. — NOS describes the discovery and its significance for the provenance research. source
- confirmed The museum wants to continue working with Sicilian experts. — The museum and NOS describe follow-up research and cooperation. source
Editor's note
The transfer, object identification, purchase history and provenance research have been confirmed by NOS and the museum. The precise role of the former photographer in the grave robbing remains not fully elaborated in the sources.Sources
- Geroofde vaas terug naar Sicilië — NOS
- From Centuripe, with Love — Allard Pierson