A vivid mosaic, once hidden for decades, has been returned to Pompeii, offering a glimpse into the luxurious past of a wealthy Roman family. The mosaic, believed to show a couple in an intimate bedroom scene, was looted during World War II by a Nazi captain who took it to Germany in 1944. It eventually surfaced thanks to investigations aiming to recover stolen art.
The piece now on display at the Pompeii Archaeological Park was acquired by a Wehrmacht captain who perhaps obtained it through theft while stationed in Italy. He presented it as a gift to a civilian, but the details of its journey from Pompeii to Germany and the hands it passed through remained murky until recently.
A relative of the last German owner reached out to the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Italy, sparking a return process. The command confirmed the mosaic’s provenance through a detailed database of stolen artifacts, successfully linking it to Pompeii.
The artifact was officially handed back to Italy through diplomatic means on September 16, 2023, and is now exhibited where it once belonged, within sight of the ancient ruins it enriches with historical significance.
