Italy loans works to U.S. museums after 'looted' items returned

Two U.S. museums have received loaned Italian artifacts after agreeing to return artwork that Italy says was looted, someof it decades ago.

The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has received a 2.7-metre Roman statue of Eirene, the goddess of peace, dating from the first century.

The museum returned 13 disputed antiquities to Rome this fall.

MFA will be able to display the statue, found in 1986 in the garden of a Roman villa, until 2009, when it must be returned. Italy has reunited the head of the statue with its torso for the U.S. museum, but its arms and figure of the baby Ploutos are missing.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York received a kylix, a type of terra cotta drinking cup dating from 550 BC, in a loanthat extends until 2010.

The Met returnedsix objects, including the Euphronios krater, a 2,500-year-old Greek bowl, to Italy this summer.

Both museums had signed agreements with Italy to receive antiquities on loan if they returned the disputed objects.

The dispute arose after Italy conducted an extensive investigation into its antiquities trade over the last 18 months and found that ancient objects were being stolen from archeological digs and sent out of the country through shady dealers.

It began to put pressure on museums that had bought the objects, often 30 or more years ago, demanding their return.

Italy is still negotiating with some U.S. museums, including the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, over the return of objects.

Former Getty curator Marion True is on trial in Rome, along with art dealer Robert Hecht, on charges of dealing in looted antiquities.

Last week the Getty agreed to return 26 artifacts to the Italians.

But Italy says the Getty's move was unilateral and not part of an agreement that would result in loans to the museum. Italy is claiming 52 objects that are in Getty collections.

Private collector asked to return objects

Italy has now extended its crusade to regain looted objects to private collectors.

The New York Times reports that the Italian government has asked New York collector Shelby White to return more than 20 ancient artifacts it says were taken out of the country illegally.

White and her husband Leon Levy had collected the works over a period of 30 years.

Italy says it hopes to use "moral suasion" — in other words, do the right thing —rather than legal pressure to encourage White to return the objects.

The Italian governmentplans to meet with White in December to show documentation linking the objects she and her husband bought with illegal digs in Italy.