While looking for something to buy at a store in Austin, Texas, in 2018, Laura Young spotted a bust. It was resting on the floor next to a table and cost $34.99. It turned out to be a Roman bust.
How it got to Texas remains a mystery. The bust dates from the late 1st century B.C. or early 1st century A.D., and was in the art collection of a Bavarian king from the 19th century until it was stolen during World War II. The more likely scenario is that the bust was taken by an American soldier after the Bavarian's villa was bombed by Allied forces.
Laura Young has had the bust in her living room for the past 3.5 years and had given it the name "Dennis Reynolds", after the sitcom "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". Like that vain and narcissistic character, the marble bust "was a very difficult, cold, distant, emotionless man who caused me some problems," she says."
When the antique dealer spotted the bust, she knew it was probably valuable. "I took it out into the light. It had cracks in the base. It had clear repairs. It looked old. I've been to museums, I've seen Roman heads before." He did a Google search for photos of Roman busts and "they looked a lot like my guy."
After driving off with the bust, strapping it to the passenger seat with a belt, he contacted two auction houses, Bonhams and Sotheby's. Both confirmed that her hunch was correct. The bust was from ancient Rome. But subsequent research, validated by the Bavarian government, confirmed that Young could not sell the piece.
She paid $34.99 for a bust, it turned out to be from ancient RomeFacebook Twitter[BR]Sometime before 1833 the bust was acquired by Louis I, who had placed it in the courtyard of Pompejanum, a replica Roman villa of Pompeii in the Bavarian city of Assafenburg, according to Young's lawyer.
[BR][BR]The villa was heavily damaged by Allied bombing in 1944 and 1945, and although some of the artifacts there survived, others disappeared. Because the bust ended up in Texas, it is possible that an American soldier either stole it or traded it after the war, according to the lawyer.
This meant that Young was not the rightful owner because Germany never sold her the bust. "I couldn't sell it or keep it. It is bittersweet to say the least. But art theft, looting, is a war crime. I can't be part of it," he says. So he agreed to send the bust to Bavaria. In return, he will receive a "small amount" as a finder's fee, which he did not disclose.
Before that, by May 2023 the bust will be on display at the San Antonio Museum of Art, something important to Young. "It's been hidden for 70-80 years. I think it deserves some attention," she explained.
Now, at home, she has a replica of the bust in her living room. "It's a little difficult because it was probably the most fascinating object I'll ever find and it's over. But there's always something else to find. If you're an antiques dealer, there's always something else," she concludes.
Source: lifo.gr with information from NYT
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