First 4 Getty works return to Italy

Four prized artifacts from the J. Paul Getty Museum in California returned to Italy on Tuesday, the first of 40 works to be handed over by the Getty as a result of Italy's efforts to recover antiquities it says were looted and sold to museums.

Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli announced that the four works, which he said were insured for about $425 million, would be distributed to Italian museums.

One of the works was a highly prized vase attributed to the 5th century B.C. Greek painter Euphronios.

The delivery was the first since Getty Director Michael Brand signed a deal with Rutelli last week to return 40 contested artifacts from the Getty's Los Angeles collection that Italy says were looted from its territory.

The Getty has always denied knowingly buying illegally obtained objects, and Italy's deal with the museum includes no admission of guilt.

It calls for all but one of the treasures to be transferred to Italy by year's end. The last and most prized work, a 5th century B.C. statue of the goddess Aphrodite, will remain at the Getty until 2010.

In exchange, Italy will lend the Los Angeles museum other artifacts for up to four years each. The agreement also provides for cultural cooperation, including research projects and joint exhibitions.

The four objects returned Tuesday include a red-figured ceramic vase known as a kantharos, with masks of Dionysos and a satyr. The work, which is believed to date from 480 B.C., is attributed to Euphronios.

Another Euphronios work, a large vase known as a krater and considered one of the finest examples of its kind, was at the heart of Italy's negotiations with Metropolitan Museum in New York over its disputed antiquities.

The Met agreed last year to return the Euphronios Krater to Italy by Jan. 15, 2008. It also pledged to turn over several pieces of Hellenistic silver and Greek earthenware.

In addition to the Euphronios, the other Getty artifacts include a fragment of a wall fresco from the 1st century B.C. depicting Hercules; an Etruscan terra-cotta statue from the 5th century B.C.; and a vase depicting a garden scene dating from 350 B.C. and attributed to the potter Asteas.

Former Getty curator Marion True is on trial in Rome accused of knowingly acquiring ancient treasures that Italy maintains were stolen or unearthed illegally and smuggled out of the country. True denies wrongdoing.

Italy last week announced it was dropping a civil lawsuit against True following the deal with the Getty, though criminal charges remain. The lawsuit had demanded the return of the disputed objects.

The return of the works from the Getty was the latest stage in an aggressive new campaign by countries including Italy and Greece to pressure museums and private collectors to return artifacts looted from their territories. In addition to the Getty and the Met, Italy has struck a deal with Boston's Museum of Fine Arts to return disputed treasures.

In recent months, the Getty has also returned four allegedly looted artifacts to Greece.

Rutelli also announced on Tuesday a government initiative to encourage Italians to contribute to preserving seven sites of cultural importance across the country.

(This version CORRECTS True's title.)