The Cleveland Museum of Art has announced plans to return a 2,200-year-old statue to Libya. This statue, depicting a bearded man striding forward, was crafted from black basalt during the Ptolemaic dynasty and looted during the British occupation in World War II.
History of the Statue
• Creation and Era: The statue, nearly two feet tall, was made over 2,000 years ago from basalt, a hard volcanic rock formed from lava.
• Discovery: The figure, dressed in contemporary fashion of the time—a T-shirt, wraparound skirt, and shawl—was found in a large storage jar during excavations of the Columned Palace at Ptolemais in Cyrenaica (now eastern Libya) in 1937-1938.
• War and Loss: It was housed at the Ptolemais Museum in Libya until the museum was destroyed during the British occupation. The statue was noted as “likely lost in 1941” by an Italian scholar in a 1950 publication.
• Journey to Switzerland: By 1960, the statue had surfaced in Lucerne, Switzerland.
• Private Collection: From 1966 to 1991, it was part of the private collection of New York art collectors Lawrence and Barbara Fleischman.
• Cleveland Museum of Art: The statue was donated to the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1991.
Decision to Return
The museum decided to return the statue based on new information from Libya’s Department of Antiquities and further research:
• Statement: “Based on new information provided by the Department of Antiquities and research undertaken at the CMA, the museum voluntarily recognizes the statue as the property of Libya.”
• Libyan Response: Mohamed Faraj Mohamed, head of Libya’s Department of Antiquities, expressed gratitude for the museum’s cooperation and willingness to return the artifact.
Future Cooperation
Libya’s Department of Antiquities looks forward to continued collaboration with the Cleveland Museum of Art in the future. The return of this significant artifact highlights the museum’s commitment to rightful ownership and cultural heritage preservation.