British Museum launches Webpage to recover Stolen Objects

This news comes at the same time as it was confirmed that 60 items have now been returned, with a further 300 identified and due to be returned imminently.  
 
The measures include an international panel of experts, made up of leading specialists in the field, to aid the identification and recovery of objects. The members include James Ratcliffe from the Art Loss Register, Ms. Lynda Albertson from the Association for Research into Crimes against Art, and other specialists in the field of ancient gems and jewellery.  A new webpage dedicated to the recovery operation which contains further details of the types of objects that are missing – including pictures - so that members of the public will be better able to identify whether they might have come in contact with any stolen items.  

This all comes after the Museum took the important step of placing missing items on the Art Loss Register, the world’s largest private database of lost, stolen and looted art and antiquities. This will ensure that if the stolen pieces appear in the over 400,000 items a year that are checked by them they will be identified. 
 
Lucy D’Orsi, Joint Chair of the Independent Review, said:   “Sir Nigel Boardman and I continue to work closely with the British Museum, other
organisations and specialists in this area to recover stolen items and return them to the British Museum’s collection. We are very grateful for the support we have received. We have seen an encouraging start to the recovery programme and have been particularly impressed by the hard work and dedication of the British Museum staff working with us.” 
 
James Ratcliffe, Director of Recoveries at the Art Loss Register said:  “The British Museum's approach has carefully balanced the need to provide
information to the public to assist the recovery efforts with the fact that providing too much detail risks playing into the hands of those who might act in bad faith. Thanks to our position as the principal due diligence resource for the art market, and experience in the recovery of stolen art and cultural property, the Art Loss Register has an unrivalled ability to assist with the Museum's recovery programme. We are delighted to provide our assistance on a pro bono basis to the excellent team at the Museum to support their efforts.”