Getty returns Ancient Bronze Couch to Türkiye

The object was acquired in 1982 from a Swiss dealer who provided false provenance indicating the piece had been in European collections since the 1920s. Research conducted by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the J. Paul Getty Museum determined this claim was false and that the artifact was illicitly excavated in the early 1980s from an ancient tomb in the region of modern-day Manisa. Fragments of linen adhering to the object match others remaining in the tomb that were subsequently recovered by Turkish archaeologists along with fragments of wood and bronze sheet and the remains of marble and ceramic vessels that helped date the tomb.

“With this return, we are pleased to bring to a conclusion a long-running investigation of the couch’s origins by Turkish and American scholars,” said Timothy Potts, Maria Hummer-Tuttle and Robert Tuttle Director of the Getty Museum. “Their research helped recover the archaeological and historical context for this exceptional object, while Getty conservators analyzed its materials and manufacturing technique.”

“I believe that each return of cultural property illegally removed from its lawful place sends a strong message to traffickers,” said Gökhan Yazgı, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism. “The bronze couch is a rare archaeological artifact that was unlawfully taken from its home. Thanks to the renewed dialogue between Türkiye and the Getty Museum, it will now be preserved where it belongs. Better protection of cultural heritage can only be achieved through mutual understanding, and by rectifying past actions.”

The couch, or kliné—a day bed used for banqueting—is a rare surviving example of ancient luxury furniture otherwise known largely from depictions in other media, such as frescoed walls and painted pottery. With legs and rails of cast bronze over an iron framework, and perforated copper sheets riveted together and wrapped around iron rail cores, the metal couch replicates more common wooden ones with turned legs, projecting tenons at the corners, and a latticed surface that once supported cushions. Decorative details such as incised lotus friezes and rosettes suggest Lydian or East Greek manufacture.  

Potts added: “We seek to continue building a constructive relationship with the Turkish Ministry of Culture and with our archaeological, conservation, curatorial, and other colleagues working in Türkiye, with whom we share the common mission to advance the preservation of ancient cultural heritage.”

Yazgı added: “Türkiye and the Getty Museum may hold differing positions on the matter of return and restitution. However, the announcement today can be seen as a sign of closer cooperation in the future toward the shared goal of combating the illicit trafficking of antiquities. I believe both sides are now much closer to understanding each other's perspectives.”

Main Image: Funerary Couch, Lydian or East Greek, about 530 BCE. Bronze, iron, copper, and linen; 187.5 cm x 75 cm x 40 cm (29 1/2 x 73 13/16 x 15 3/4 in.). Formerly J. Paul Getty Museum, inventory no. 82.AC.94.