An ancient mosaic that may have been looted by a Nazi officer has returned to its home in Italy decades after being stolen.
The mosaic depicts a bedroom scene and probably originated somewhere in the area around Mount Vesuvius, the volcano that erupted in 79 CE, trapping Pompeii in ash and effectively freezing the city in time. It shows a nearly nude woman reaching toward a reclining man who gazes at her.
According to the Pompeii Archaeological Park, the mosaic was taken during World War II by a captain for the Wehrmacht, the Nazi armed force division. The park said that this captain “was responsible for the military supply chain in Italy during the Second World War,” and that he “donated” the piece to a German citizen.
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Based on the park’s announcement, it was not clear how the captain had obtained the mosaic, which may have originally appeared on the floor of a domus or a villa. It also wasn’t clear where the captain encountered the work from the park’s release.
The park said the mosaic had officially been repatriated to Italy, with the aid of the Italian consulate in Stuttgart, Germany, on September 16, 2023. Nearly two years on, it is now on view to the public in Pompeii.
Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, said in a statement, “Every looted artifact that returns is a wound that heals, so we express our gratitude to the Protection Unit for their work. The wound lies not so much in the material value of the work, but in its historical value; a value that is severely compromised by the illicit trafficking of antiquities.”
“We don’t know the artifact’s exact provenance and likely never will; we will conduct further studies and archaeometric analyses to ascertain its authenticity and reconstruct its history to the extent possible,” Zuhctriegel continued. “The study, knowledge, and public enjoyment of this heritage are the lotus flowers that grow in the mud of thefts driven by the greed and selfishness of those who steal archaeological artifacts from the community.”