An erotic Ancient Roman mosaic stolen by a Wehrmacht officer in 1944 and given to a German citizen was returned to its rightful home at Pompeii in a ceremony by Italy's Carabinieri.
The German army captain, responsible for the military supply chain in Italy during World War II, handed over the mosaic of a pair of lovers to a German citizen whose family have now returned it thanks to the Carabinieri of the Cultural Heritage Protection Unit (TPC) of Rome.
The mosaic was returned by the commander of the TPC, General Francesco Gargaro, to the Director General of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, Gabriel Zuchtriegel. The panel dates between the mid-last century BC and the 1st century AD. The heirs of the last owner contacted the Carabinieri of the TPC Unit in Rome.
The personnel of the Cultural Heritage Protection Command in Rome realized they were dealing with a work of cultural interest and, among other things, linked it to the wartime plundering of artworks belonging to the Italian state heritage, conducted the necessary investigations to establish its authenticity and provenance, coordinated by the Rome Public Prosecutor's Office, and enabled the mosaic's repatriation on September 16, 2023.
The TPC's collaboration with the Office for the Protection of Archaeological Heritage of the Pompeii Archaeological Park was crucial, allowing the artifact to be traced back to the Vesuvian area, despite limited information on its original context.
Main Image: Courtesy Pompeii Archaeological Park