A stone carving of a bird headdress looted from a Mayan archaeological site in northwestern Guatemala in the 1960s ended up in the hands of a private collector in France. In 2019, the work was slated for sale at auction in Paris for an estimated $27,000 to $39,000.
Guatemala and Mexico objected to the sale and negotiations ensued. Ultimately, the private collector decided to return the artifact to Guatemala and on Monday, UNESCO held a ceremony to mark its return. The carving will be installed at the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology in Guatemala City.
As the article on CNN Style notes, this repatriation comes at a time of reckoning for museums and galleries, as questions mount about how and when they acquired cultural objects and works of art.
From the article:
“The voluntary handover of this fragment of a Mayan stela to its homeland in Guatemala showcases the evolution of the international environment in favour of the return of emblematic cultural objects and artefacts to their homelands under UNESCO’s guidance over the last 50 years,” UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said in a statement.
“It also shows the importance of the UNESCO 1970 Convention in fighting the illicit trafficking of cultural objects. This success story has been possible thanks to international cooperation and a private collector’s goodwill; it is a model for others to follow.”
From CNN Style: A private collector is returning a Mayan artifact to Guatemala
Photo credit: Stephane De Sakutin/AFP/Getty Images