Even 80 years after the end of the Second World War, stolen works of art continue to return to their rightful owners

Even 80 years after the end of the Second World War, stolen works of art continue to return to their rightful owners. Among the recent high-profile cases of restitution is the return to the granddaughters of the Viennese collector Adalbert Parlagi of Claude Monet's painting "The Coast at Mers", confiscated by the Nazis in 1938 and sold at auction for the benefit of the Third Reich.

To these cases has now been added the return to Italy of an ancient mosaic stolen during the war. The work was taken out of the country by a Wehrmacht captain in charge of military supply, and given to a German citizen.

The heirs of its last owner contacted the Rome division of the Carabinieri specialising in the protection of cultural heritage, in order to send the artefact back to its homeland. In September 2023 the mosaic was handed over to the Archaeological Park of Pompeii and is now on display in the Antiquarium.

The mosaic is dated to about AD 79. It depicts a pair of lovers: a man reclining on a couch and a woman standing beside him, naked, seen from behind. In the opinion of specialists, the mosaic may have adorned the floor of a bedroom in a house or villa.

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At the close of the Strugatskys' "Roadside Picnic" the Golden Sphere is asked for this: "Happiness for everybody, free, and let nobody go away unsatisfied!" I do not promise to leave no one aggrieved, but the digest really does come free

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Even 80 years after the end of the Second World War, stolen works of art continue to return to their rightful owners

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At the close of the Strugatskys' "Roadside Picnic" the Golden Sphere is asked for this: "Happiness for everybody, free, and let nobody go away unsatisfied!" I do not promise to leave no one aggrieved, but the digest really does come free

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