Danish Museum Safeguards and Returns 290 Stolen Gems to British Museum
A Danish museum has helped the British Museum retrieve 290 stolen Greek and Roman gems, marking the largest recovery effort in recent years. The Thorvaldsens Museum in Copenhagen played a crucial role in facilitating the return of the stolen items, which were handed over to the British Museum for safekeeping and later returned in January.
The gems had been deposited at the Copenhagen museum by Danish antique gem collector Ittai Gradel, who had acquired them from a single source between 2010 and 2013 without realizing they were stolen. Gradel, upon developing suspicions, promptly alerted the British Museum, leading to the recovery operation.
The scale of the theft encompassed approximately 2,000 items, including classical Greek and Roman gems, gold rings, earrings, and other jewelry. Most of the stolen items were from the Townley Collection acquired by the museum in the early 19th century.
A significant portion of the stolen items has been recovered, with 351 gems returned from Denmark and an additional six items from other sources. Efforts are ongoing to track down a further 300 missing pieces, with hopes for their return later this year.
The recovery operation is being managed by an Expert Advisory Panel for the Recovery of Stolen Items, with assistance provided by the London’s Natural History Museum. Select items recovered by Gradel are currently on display at the British Museum’s exhibition “Rediscovering Gems.”
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Elara Voss, graduated from the Royal College of Art in London with a Master’s in Fine Art. She specializes in contemporary sculpture and installation art, exploring themes of nature and human interaction. Elara’s works have been featured in several group exhibitions across Europe, and she is currently working on her first solo show.