Iraq received an ancient Sumerian sculpture after the Metropolitan Museum conducted internal research for which it just hired a head of provenance research. According to a statement from the Met, the Sumerian sculpture was returned during a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
A Nude Man Carrying a Box on His Head
The return occurs just a few weeks before the museum’s provenance research team is scheduled to be led by Lucian Simmons, the former head of Sotheby’s restitution department, in May. Having focused on provenance and restitution issues since 1997, Simmons will now oversee a group of researchers. They will examine several of the museum’s 19 collection sections.
The museum’s listing of the piece states the copper alloy figure. It shows a nude man carrying a box on his head, and also dates to between 2900 and 2600 B.C.E. The museum described it as a “fine example” of Sumerian sculpting in metal. “Only certain categories of people had representation as nude in the Early Dynastic period. These were priests, athletes, mythological heroes, and prisoners of war”, the museum wrote.
“This figure, reminiscent of scenes depicting priests carrying offerings, carries an object that might be a temple foundation deposit or offering related to its building”, the museum also added. The institution bought the work in 1955 from dealer Elias S. David, who specialised in Near Eastern art before his death in 1969.
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Meeting With Nizar Al-Khairallah, the Iraqi Ambassador
Museum officials met with Nizar Al-Khairallah, the Iraqi ambassador to the United States, to offer its return. “The Met commits to the responsible collecting of antiquities, and to the shared stewardship of the world’s cultural heritage”, said Max Hollein, the museum’s director. “We are honored to collaborate with the Republic of Iraq on the return of this sculpture, and we value the important relationships we have fostered with our colleagues there”.
Law enforcement and diplomats are paying more attention to the museum than to many others, and this appears in both Simmons’s appointment and the restitution. The Metropolitan returned artefacts to Italy, Greece, Turkey, China, and Cambodia last year. However, the Manhattan District Attorney confiscated some of them as part of their ongoing investigations into Michael Steinhardt.
“I am thrilled at this opportunity to bring my experience working on provenance and cultural property issues to the Met, which has been a leading voice on these topics in the global art community”, Simmons said. “I look forward to collaborating with the exceptional staff already focused on this important work, and to furthering the Museum’s mission”.
