Cleveland Museum Returns Works to Italy

Fourteen works from the antiquities collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art were officially presented to the Italian public in Rome on Thursday, underscoring “the excellent collaboration between the United States institution and the Italian Culture Ministry,” Attorney General Oscar Fiumara of Italy said. The return follows two years of negotiations about their rightful ownership. The Italians maintained that the works had been looted from sites in Sicily, Sardinia, Apulia and Campania. An accord between the museum and the culture ministry was signed in November, and the artifacts — which date from the 9th century B.C. to the 14th century A.D. — will now be returned to museums in their regions of provenance. The Cleveland museum will receive long-term loans of similar works in exchange. The returned works include a rare 4th-century B.C. Apulian volute krater, above, and a 14th-century gold-plated cross, left.