Exquisite Bronze Griffin Head Repatriated

The latest high-profile repatriation of an ancient Greek artifact took place last week in New York City, with the Metropolitan Museum of Art returning an exquisite 7^th-century BCE bronze griffin head to culture ministry officials from Greece.

The artifact is one of the finest cast-bronze griffin heads in existence, according to the Met, which acquired the piece in 1972 and had it prominently displayed at the entrance to its renowned Greco-Roman galleries since 1999.

According to a press release: “The Met and the Greek Ministry agreed to the return of the Griffin after careful review of records and letters determining that it could not have legitimately left the Archaeological Museum of Olympia (in the 1930s). The Met will return the Griffin to Greece and is looking forward to displaying it on loan by Greece to The Met for a planned special exhibition in 2026.”

Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni with the CEO and Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City Max Hollein.