Ancient Italian Artifacts Found in US
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EcoPic/iStock/Thinkstock(ROME) — Artwork stolen from the ancient city of Pompeii has been found in the United States.
Sixty years ago, thieves stripped three exquisite frescoes from the walls of Pompeii, an ancient city famously destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
The first century artworks depict a young woman with a cupid on her shoulder, a woman carrying a wine pitcher and a man.
After the raid in 1957, authorities lost track of the frescoes. It wasn’t until the Italian police, with the help of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, discovered the pieces were headed for an American art auction block.
The pieces were about to be sold off. They were part of a private collection of an unnamed American tycoon who had died.
The ancient pieces were among a group of 25 works of stolen art returned from the United States to Italy.
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