Nicosia, Cyprus. A Cypriot antiquity has been returned from the United Kingdom after being identified in an online auction, the Department of Antiquities said on Tuesday. The pitcher dates to the Cypro-Archaic I period (750–600 BC).
Identification and withdrawal
The item was traced by officials monitoring the illegal trafficking of antiquities online, according to the department. After contact with the auction house, the object was withdrawn and handed over to the high commission of the republic of Cyprus in London on March 7.
Object description
The department said the vessel is of the Black on Red III (IV) type, with a spherical body, a short cylindrical neck and a vertical handle. It is decorated with concentric circles and bands, though its rim is not preserved.
Acknowledgments
The Department of Antiquities thanked Watsons auctioneers and the donors for voluntarily returning the artefact, and the cultural section of the Cyprus high commission in London for coordinating the repatriation.
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