Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. has been involved in the return of stolen artifacts to Poland and Italy. Last Wednesday, a 4th-century glass fragment was returned to Poland, and on Tuesday, Italy received eight antiquities. The repatriations followed thorough investigations into World War II-era looting and recent trafficking activities involving Italian cultural heritage. Among the items returned to Italy was the "Peirush Megilath Esther," a 16th-century manuscript plundered by Nazis during their occupation of Rome in 1943. It was recovered from an auction in New York earlier this year, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's office.
The returned Polish artifact, featuring four figures in gold, was part of a collection hidden by Princess Maria Ludwika Czartoryska during World War II. It was housed in the National Museum in Warsaw before being seized by the Nazis and had been missing since the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. Elżbieta Rogowska, Deputy Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland, stated in a press release, "The return of each recovered monument is always a cause for great joy." She also expressed gratitude toward the Antiquities Trafficking Unit at the Manhattan District Attorney's office.
Also among the repatriated items to Italy was a bronze statuette of Aphrodite, dating back to the 1st century C.E. This statuette resurfaced through an antiquities trafficker, was falsely attributed to a provenance, and eventually became part of a private collection displayed at the Met. The Italian Consul General in New York, Fabrizio Di Michele, commented on the cooperation between countries, stating that the return of these artifacts demonstrates a joint effort to protect archaeological artworks and uphold justice.
According to the Manhattan D.A.'s announcement, the office's Antiquities Trafficking Unit (ATU) under DA Bragg's tenure has reclaimed approximately 2,400 artifacts from 47 countries, with an estimated value of $260 million. Since its inception, the ATU successfully convicted 18 individuals on charges related to the theft of cultural property. Many recovered treasures, which total around 6,100 items worth $480 million, have been repatriated.
