Boston museum returns necklace likely looted from tomb in Turkey
BOSTON - A Greater Boston Starts with making things right. The Museum of Fine Arts is giving up a beautiful necklace. Historians say research shows it never should have been in their collection to begin with.
The 2,700-year-old necklace has dazzled eyes at the MFA for more than four decades. But now it will make the journey back to where it came from - in Turkey after researchers found out it was likely looted from a Turkish tomb in 1976.
"It's absolutely crucial, that's what I do, that's what my job is here," said Victoria Reed MFA Sadler Curator for Provenance. "It's to make sure we're not holding onto to something that has been stolen in the past."
How the MFA got the necklace
The gold and carnelian necklace ended up in the MFA's collection from a London dealer in 1982.
Then recently the MFA says a scholar suggested the museum investigate where the necklace came from after noticing similarities between the necklace in the MFA's collection and nearly identical beads and fittings excavated from an archeological site in Western Turkey in Kendirlik, Bintepeler.
"Those were placed into the local Archaeological Museum, and it seemed the elements that made up our necklace were probably smuggled out of the country and then strung together to form this piece of jewelry," said Reed.
To confirm, the MFA did its own research and figured out the necklace was probably stolen and smuggled out of Turkey. Now the country will have the precious relic back home.
"We always try to return their rightful owner whether that owner is an individual or a community or a nation," said Reed.
Representatives from Turkey's government have already picked up the necklace in a special protective case.
Last year, the MFA returned two bronze sculptures from its collection to Turkey.
