UNESCO to launch the first virtual museum of stolen cultural objects

unesco.org

31 points·gnabgib··7 comments

I remember being in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the guide said in a large hall “Only one of these objects is a replica, can you guess which one?” I said “Unfortunately, I know exactly which one because I saw it in the British Museum a week ago.” I got a look.

The Rosetta Stone?

Yes it was, it wasn’t exactly an obscure archeological find.

They can presumably include the vast troves of paintings and other artwork still held by many supposedly respectable collections in completely progressive modern European and other cities, which were originally stolen by the Nazis and pilfered away to later appear in these places after the war. Much of that illegally in the hands of its new postwar "owners" despite ongoing protest from the descendants of those who died in the camps after having their collections confiscated.

Where do illicit artifacts usually end up? Is there a type of person who buys these? Drug cartels? Russian oligarchs?

Illicit artifacts usually end up in first world countries in surprisingly normal homes. It's pretty normalized. You may have come across things in antiques stores, or art galleries or coins on eBay.

Small scale looters steal the artifacts, then they're laundered across borders by organized crime as a funding source, and they don't care much where things end up.

The British Museum has historically been a common destination. Other Western museums aren't far behind - although it has become less common over the last few decades.

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