When antique dealer Laura Young bought a 52-pound marble bust for $35 at a Goodwill store near Austin, TX, she thought she might have a special find.
Little did she know that it was a 2,000-year-old artifact that had been missing since World War II.
The bust was likely brought to the U.S. by a soldier returning from the war, she told the “Something Offbeat” podcast.
“He was kind of hidden a little bit,” she said. “And so I immediately, you know, touched him, checked him out, tried to pick them up, realized he’s pretty heavy. And tracked a man down who was working there to pick them up and carry him to the front of the store for me to buy immediately.”
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Shimrit Lee, author of the recently released book “Decolonize Museums”, explained that plunder and destruction of artifacts are common during wars. In fact, she said looted artifacts can be found in respected museums and they fuel a global illicit art market.
“A lot of people call these sorts of artworks 'blood art,' said Lee, "kind of like blood diamonds that have been violently extracted from the sites of war zones, generally. And then they end up on the internet.”
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Listen in to find out how Young was able to arrange for the Roman bust she found to be returned to its last home, and to learn more about priceless artifacts hiding around the globe.
Do you know of a local offbeat news item that you think we should cover? Send it in to us at somethingoffbeat@audacy.com.
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