A Roman statue of the deity Bacchus has been returned to the French museum where it was displayed after almost half a century from when it’s been stolen.
Thieves stole the 1st century bronze of Bacchus as a child, as well as 5,000 Roman coins, in December 1973.
Art detective Arthur Brand traced the statue to the museum when a client was offered it by an Austrian collector.
“It’s unheard of that something comes back fifty years after a theft – normally it’s been destroyed,” he told the BBC.
The 40cm (15.7in) statue was discovered in 1894 on the site of the Gallo-Roman village of Vertillum in eastern France, and was later displayed in a Paris exhibition of France’s finest art.
Director Catherine Monnet stayed that when Mr Brand returned the monument to the Musée du Pays Châtillonnais this week, she realized how much more beautiful it was than the replica on exhibit.
According to the Dutch art sleuth, who has earned a reputation for hunting down stolen artworks throughout the world, the museum was “flabbergasted” when he told them he had found their missing statue.
He explained how he was called by a client who was interested in learning more about the statue after it was offered to him by an Austrian collector who had purchased it legitimately and in good faith.
There were however no databases in 1973, but Mr Brand ultimately discovered a reference to it in a 1927 archaeological magazine, as well as the French police discovering their theft report from the time.
“I got in touch with the collector. He didn’t want a stolen piece in his collection, therefore he sought to return it, but French law requires him to pay a little fee for safekeeping.”
Even if the amount is little in comparison to the statue’s value, it is still a significant chunk of money.
