At a special ceremony, organized at the New York Metropolitan Museum, Culture Minister Lina Mendoni received from the director of Met Max Hollein the bronze head of Gripa from Ancient Olympia, who until yesterday held a prominent position in the Greek wing of the Greek collection. Roman antiquities.

The bronze head of Gripa, which adorned a bronze tripod boiler and dates back to 650-625 BC, is an excellent example of ancient Greek metalworking returns to Greece after a long and systematic cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and the Museum.

As the Minister of Culture noted in her greeting at the ceremony, “this particular repatriation is particularly important, as it is not the result of a request for claim by the Greek authorities. On the contrary, Met itself, in 2018, took the initiative to investigate the origin of this head grump, which was part of the collection of Greek and Roman antiquities since the early 1970s, after a private donation. “

Lina Mendoni stressed that ‘this act is Proof of the Museum’s commitment to scientific integrity, professional ethics and respect for cultural heritage. It also reflects a broader change in museum practices worldwide – which emphasizes due diligence – on the evaluation of not only the legality but also the moral basis of their collections. This dynamic approach, which we are pleased to see to gain dynamics in top cultural institutions, recognizes the importance of sincere and constructive collaborations between museums and organisms that manage cultural heritage. Greece is among the countries whose cultural treasures have been theft and illegal trafficking. I firmly believe that all antiquities that have been illegally removed from any country must return to their birthplace and their legal owners as an essential part of their collective identity. “

Met Max Hollein Director In his address he described the repatriation as “a very special time for the cooperation of Met and the Ministry of Culture” and stressed: “It is a very important repatriation, one of the most iconic exhibits of the collection of Greek and Roman antiquities. It is the bronze head of grip, which we explored, examined and concluded that it did not legally leave its country of origin, Greece. The cooperation between MET and the Greek Ministry of Culture is based on a common belief in international cooperation in the protection and promotion of cultural heritage. “

The investigation by the competent Directorate of Documentation and Protection of Cultural Goods of the Ministry of Culture in the Archaeological Service Archive proved beyond any doubt that Grip’s head in Met is identified with the one found in Ancient Olympia in December 1914by the curator of the Museum Themistocles Karachalio. The ancient one had been found in the riverbed of the River Kladeou, next to the ancient high school of Olympia, in soil dragged by the river and surrendered by the curator to the Museum of Ancient Olympia, where it was cleaned. The first publication of the ancient head with photographic documentation took place in 1915, in the archaeological bulletin, the official edition of the Archaeological Service. According to the archival material identified by the competent department, Gripas was stolen in the 1930s by the Museum, where he remained in the 1930s. The first reference to his loss is made in 1937-1938, at the annual report of the German excavators of Olympia. In 1940, the Archaeological Service investigated the theft case, which appears to be done in 1936 and proceeded with appropriate actions against persons who were responsible for guarding the collections during this period.

The corresponding survey in MET files confirmed the time theft timeas it appears to be sold in the summer of 1936 by a Greek archaeologist to the American Archaeological J. Brummer, to be sold in 1948 to the WC Baker, and then a donation in 1971, along with the rest of the Baker collection. , at the New York Metropolitan Museum.

The ceremony was attended by the Consul General of Greece in New York, Iphigenia Kanara, the Paredros of the State Legal Council Efthimia Garani, the Director General of the Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum, Anastasia Gadolou, the Chairman of the Board of Directors. of the Byzantine and Christian Museum of Athens George Tsapounis, the Director of Documentation and Protection of Cultural Goods of the Ministry of Culture Vaso Papageorgiou and the Department of Documentation and Protection of Cultural Goods Elena Vlachogiannis.