CLEVELAND — A 22-inch Roman Egyptian statue that stood quietly in the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) for more than three decades is now at the center of an international and cultural repatriation.
Titled Statue of a Man, the piece was donated to the museum in 1991. But a new addition to its museum label—“Lent by the State of Libya”—marks a major shift in its story.
Officials from the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Libyan government signed a formal agreement Thursday, acknowledging Libya’s ownership of the sculpture and setting the stage for its return.
“It is a sad irony that the statue cherished in antiquity and cared for in Libya thereafter disappeared,” Dr. William M. Griswold, Director of the Cleveland Museum, said.
The signing took place during a private event inside the museum in front of representatives from the Libyan Embassy and the CMA.
The statue was recorded in 1941 at the Museum of Ptolemais in Libya. That museum was destroyed during the British occupation during World War II.
CMA said that a description and three pictures of the sculpture appeared in a 1950s publication by Italian scholar Gennaro Pesce. The piece highlighted the results of excavations of the Columned Palace at Ptolemais, Cyrenaica. According to the publication, the statue was found at the bottom of a storage jar in the space next to the alcove of Room 14 of the palace.
A possible photograph of the piece surfaced in Switzerland in 1960.
Its whereabouts after unknown until it was traced to Cleveland last year.
“When they reached out to us and we looked into it, they were absolutely right,” Seth Pevnick, the curator of Greek and Roman art, said.
The Department of Antiquities of Libya initiated contact with the museum after discovering the statue’s location.
“This is a really important day for us, especially that we are able to acquire back a piece of property that belongs to Libya and the acknowledgement of the museum that it belongs to Libya,” said Dr. Mohammed Faraj Mohammed Al-Fallos, chair of Libya’s Department of Antiquities.
While the agreement allows for the statue to be returned, it will remain in Cleveland on loan for five more years to allow the public to view it and learn more about Libyan history.
“This made us agree to loan this piece to stay in the museum for at least five years so the public can benefit from seeing it and seeing part of our history,” Al-Fallos said.
The statue is the first object ever lent by Libya’s Department of Antiquities to an American museum. Officials said the collaboration could open doors for further cultural exchanges, including the sharing of artworks, artifacts, and academic research.
“There will be an exchange of not only pieces of art but also all kinds of knowledge and information that helps enriching our tradition and culture,” Al-Fallos said.
The museum called the agreement a meaningful step toward correcting historical wrongs.
“We are proud that our museum may now help to right this wrong,” a spokesperson said.
