An ancient bronze griffin head stolen nearly a century ago to the Archaeological Museum of Olympia, has been returned by New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. This return marks ongoing efforts by museum's to return significant artefacts that have been illegally removed to their country of origin.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has recently increased its efforts to review the history of its holdings, hiring additional experts to track the origins of objects in its collection.
Greek Culture Minister Dr Lina Mendoni attended a ceremony at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia and praised the efforts made by both sides, US and Greece for the return of the griffin.The griffin, a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle, symbolized strength and divine protection in ancient Greece. The bronze head will now be displayed alongside a similar griffin head already on display at the Olympia museum.
Institutions across the world in recent years have begun to acknowledge the importance of returning significant cultural items while still promoting global access to heritage. As part of this framework, Greece has agreed to loan the griffin head back to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for future exhibitions, Mendoni said.
The Director of the Metropolitan Museum, Max Hollein commented: “We are grateful for our long-standing partnership with the Greek government and look forward to continued engagement and cultural exchange.”
Greece is also hoping that this approach will boost its long standing campaign for the return of the Parthenon Marbles.
The negotiations between the British Museum and PM Mitsotakis' team, which started two years ago, continues apace.
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