Nov. 1 – The Ministry of National Heritage and Cultural Activities and Tourism signed a long term cultural cooperation agreement with the Dallas Museum of Art, to enhance and promote cross-cultural exchange between the United States and Italy. The agreement provides for the return of six archaeological objects from different Italian sites: a pair of bronze shields with the head of Achelous; two Apulian volute craters; a crater with black-painted glass; and an Etruscan antefix female head. The agreement also provides for an artifacts loan from the Spina necropolis, kept in the National Archaeological Museum of Ferrara. “I am particularly pleased with the successful resolution of the negotiations – said the Minister, Massimo Bray – both for the return of the six Italian objects and for the loan that will make these objects accessible to the public in the United States. I also would like to thank the Director of the Museum in Dallas for his understanding and also all those who contributed to the successful conclusion of this important cultural agreement.” “We are honored and excited to continue our partnership – said director Maxwell L. Anderson – with our Italian colleagues. It’s a rare opportunity to admire these objects all together, and to emphasize their combined role in ancient funerary practices.”
