In 1204, as the city was being sacked, the Venetian Doge Enrico Dandolo’s troops took the sculptures and brought them to Italy, where they were placed before St. Eventually, they made their way to Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, in what is now modern-day Turkey, and they remained there for centuries.

Sometime around 330, a set of four bronze horses that appear to be trotting onward were stolen, perhaps from somewhere in Greece, by Constantine. While looting and plundering are generally regarded as a more modern phenomenon, with most events listed here taking place over the past few centuries, it is, in fact, a practice as old as time. Image Credit: Waltraud Grubitzsch/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images Mark's are stolen during the sacking of Constantinople (1204) It will be updated as new developments take place.īelow, a look at 20 iconic cultural treasures that have faced allegations that they were stolen, from ancient Greek marbles and African artifacts to Renaissance masterpieces and a modernist treasure. Over the past decade, demands for the repatriation of cultural objects-particularly ones from Africa-have grown louder, and this list also reflects some of those claims. In many cases, allegations that the works were taken improperly have been disputed by the institutions and collectors that currently claim ownership over the art in question, and the battles by the people who claim to be the pieces’ original owners is still ongoing. By no means comprehensive, it includes works looted by the Nazis, objects taken as war booty, and artifacts plundered amid conquests and colonization.

The list below surveys 20 works that were subject to claims that they had been looted, plundered, or stolen by other means.

Whether the cases involve allegations that works were looted during war or plundered during conquests, the process of retrieving these pieces can be long and difficult-and even, in many cases, unsuccessful. Throughout history, masterpieces have plundered, looted, and stolen, and taken far away from the original locales.įor the former owners of such stolen works, getting their prized possessions back can be tricky and involve decades-long legal and political ordeals. Art theft typically conjures pieces ripped from the walls of world-class museums, and while art heists take place frequently, they are not the only means by which priceless treasures are taken.

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