The University of Amsterdam has returned the Centuripe Pisside, a terracotta vessel dating to the 3rd century BC and decorated with a nuptial scene, to Sicily.
The vessel is a finely crafted and rare example of local Sicilian ceramic.
It entered the Allard Pierson collection in 1997 without clear provenance documents.
Sicilian authorities began a restitution request in 2017.
How the return came about
Historical photographs confirmed the vessel’s Sicilian origin, after which the Allard Pierson Museum chose to return it voluntarily.
The return was presented as an act of responsibility and transparency, and as a sign of growing cultural cooperation between the Netherlands and Sicily.
The vessel will go on permanent display at the Centuripe Regional Museum in Centuripe.
The display is meant to raise the profile of this rare local ceramic and encourage future research and cultural exchanges.
If the Allard Pierson’s decision has you thinking about what Amsterdam’s own collections hold, a tour of the city’s museums is a good place to start.