Worcester Art Museum to hire provenance expert and increase scrutiny of its collection

WORCESTER — The Worcester Art Museum said in a statement Tuesday that it will be hiring a provenance research specialist and increasing the scrutiny of its collection. Provenance research includes the history of the ownership of a work of art.

The statement follows an announcement by the museum Friday that it has transferred ownership of the Roman bronze bust "Portrait of a Lady (A Daughter of Marcus Aurelius?)" to the Manhattan district attorney’s office in New York City after receiving information that it was "likely stolen and improperly imported."

A warrant signed by a judge in Manhattan June 8 ordered the seizure of the statue.

The office of the Manhattan district attorney, also known as the New York County district attorney, has been conducting an ongoing investigation into a smuggling network involving antiquities looted from Bubon in southwestern Turkey and trafficked through Manhattan.

"The Worcester Art Museum takes seriously its responsibility to be a steward of objects in its collection. With its limited resources, the museum has not been able to prioritize provenance research of its existing collection," the museum said Tuesday.

"Based in part on its experience with the bronze bust, the museum will be hiring a provenance research specialist and increasing its scrutiny of its existing collection."

The Roman bronze bust "Portrait of a Lady (A Daughter of Marcus Aurelius?)" dates to A.D. 160–180 and is thought to have come from a large family shrine in Turkey of an emperor, possibly Marcus Aurelius or Septimus Severus, likely a life-sized representation of one of their daughters.

The warrant said the bust is 21.5-inches tall and valued at $5 million.

"It is public information that the New York County district attorney has investigated antiquities from many museum collections, including museums outside of New York. In the course of its investigation regarding the bronze bust at the Worcester Art Museum, the district attorney developed important new information not previously known to the museum that supplemented information in the museum’s files," the museum said Tuesday.

"Because of the confidentiality requirements applicable to grand jury proceedings, the museum cannot disclose the new information. The museum turned the bust over to the district attorney’s office, which will repatriate it as that office sees fit," the museum said.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester Art Museum will increase scrutiny of its collection