The Netherlands has announced its intent to return a 3,500-year-old stone head sculpture to Egypt. The pledge was made by Dutch outgoing Prime Minister Dick Schoof during the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza.
Sculpture Identification and Origin
The stone head, depicting a high-ranking official from the dynasty of Pharaoh Thutmose III, was offered for sale at The European Fine Art Foundation fair in Maastricht in 2022. An anonymous tip-off led Dutch authorities to investigate its provenance.
According to the Dutch Information & Heritage Inspectorate, it is "highly likely" the sculpture was plundered from Egypt during the Arab Spring in 2011 or 2012. Dutch authorities subsequently determined the artifact had been stolen and illegally exported. The dealer voluntarily relinquished the sculpture after its illegal origin was established.
Repatriation Commitment
The Dutch government stated the sculpture is "deeply meaningful to Egypt's identity." It affirmed its commitment, both nationally and internationally, to facilitating the return of heritage to its original owners. The stone head is expected to be handed over to the Egyptian ambassador to the Netherlands by the end of this year.
Grand Egyptian Museum Opening
The announcement coincides with the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. The museum, first proposed in 1992, experienced construction interruptions due to the Arab Spring. Costing approximately $1.2 billion (£910 million), the facility houses 100,000 artifacts, including the complete contents of Tutankhamun's tomb. Egyptologists anticipate the museum's opening may reinforce calls for the repatriation of antiquities currently held in other nations, such as the Rosetta Stone, which is housed at the British Museum in London.