Worcester Art Museum turns over $5 million bronze bust to Manhattan District Attorney
WORCESTER - The Worcester Art Museum has turned over a statue reportedly worth $5 million to prosecutors in New York City.
The bronze bust called "Portrait of a Lady (A Daughter of Marcus Aurelius?)" had been in the museum since it bought the sculpture in 1966.
"At that time, the Museum was provided with limited information about the object's history," the museum said in a statement. "Although the Museum conducted its own research at that time, it now acquires objects with greater diligence."
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office has been investigating "antiquities looted from what is now Turkey," according to the New York Times. The paper said the sculpture is worth $5 million and was made when Turkey was ruled by the Roman Empire.
The museum said the bronze bust dates back to the years "160 to 180." That was the time when Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor. The bust is believed to possibly be of his daughter.
Earlier this year, the museum said the Manhattan D.A. "provided new information to the Museum, prompting the Museum to cooperate with the DA's investigation of the object's history of ownership."
According to the museum, the new evidence led them to believe the bronze bust was "likely stolen and improperly imported" and that they "safely" transferred it to investigators.
"We are very thankful for the new information provided to us," museum director Matthias Waschek said in a statement. "The ethical standards applicable to museums are much changed since the 1960s, and the Museum is committed to managing its collection consistent with modern ethical standards."