VMFA returns 41 ancient terracotta relief fragments to Türkiye after trafficking investigation

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts has deaccessioned and repatriated 41 ancient polychrome terracotta relief fragments to Türkiye after determining the works were illegally excavated and exported decades ago.

The decision followed an investigation by the Antiquities Trafficking Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, which notified VMFA on November 3rd, 2025, that the objects were connected to looting at an archaeological site in southwestern Türkiye. According to the museum, the evidence showed VMFA did not have clear legal title to the reliefs.

The fragments date to around 550 B.C. and originated from a Phrygian temple at Düver. The site was illegally excavated between 1962 and 1968, with artifacts subsequently entering the international antiquities market. The group of 41 relief fragments is valued at approximately $400,000.

VMFA acquired most of the works in 1978, purchasing 34 reliefs from Summa Galleries in Beverly Hills. Six additional fragments were received as gifts from Chicago-based antiquities dealer Harlan J. Berk, and a final relief was donated by Summa Galleries the following year.

After receiving the restitution claim, VMFA provided investigators with extensive documentation related to the objects, including purchase records, shipping and storage information, import and export documents, provenance research, and related correspondence. On November 17th, 2025, Colonel Matthew Bogdanos, who leads the Manhattan DA’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit, met with VMFA officials and presented what the museum described as clear and irrefutable evidence that the reliefs were looted and should be returned.

VMFA Director and CEO Alex Nyerges said the museum agreed to the repatriation once the evidence was reviewed, while curatorial staff emphasized that returning the objects was essential given the documented illicit excavation and export. Officials from the Manhattan DA’s office praised VMFA for its cooperation and the speed of the restitution process.

The repatriation adds to a growing list of returns by the museum in recent years. In 2023, VMFA repatriated 44 works of ancient art to Italy, Egypt, and Türkiye. The museum has also returned objects under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and resolved multiple Nazi-era art claims since 2004.

More information about VMFA’s ancient art collection and provenance research is available on the museum’s website here.