London’s Horniman Museum and Gardens will transfer the ownership of 72 objects to the Nigerian government, including its collection of Benin bronzes. The Horniman, which won museum of the year in July, is the first government-funded institution to return artefacts looted by British forces from Benin City.
Continue reading
A carved bronze key handle depicting an unarmed barbarian fighting with a lion, with four naked men cowering in fear alongside, has been found by archaeologists in Leicester. The subject of the key handle is a scene of the Damnatio ad bestias (“condemnation to beasts”), a form of Roman capital punishment, in which a criminal was killed by wild animals.
Continue reading
Art Law & More 