6 ms·

Under the 4th Geneva Convention - looting is a war crime. If you know you're in possession of ill gotten gains - one should always obtain legal advice -

tpmx 4y ago
Or you could just keep the receipt from Goodwill and use your money in more better ways than paying a lawyer.
- 650REDHAIR 4y ago
  But that’s not how the real world works. She 100% did the right thing here. And frankly she deserves a payout for all of the legwork.
  - tpmx 4y ago
    She deserves a payout because she spent money a on lawyer to get a payout? That seems circular.
    - aiisjustanif 4y ago
      She specifically stated this in her article, > She was in possession of a looted piece of ancient art. She couldn't keep it. She couldn't sell it. And giving it back to its rightful owners was a lot harder than it sounds. Why are you building up a false narrative?
      - robonerd 4y ago
        The article wasn't written by her, that isn't a statement from her. That is the journalist's statement, Matt Largey. It may or may not be completely accurate. What does "couldn't keep it" mean anyway? That she felt morally obliged to return it? Or legally obliged? The article doesn't say.
        TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
        She certainly could have kept it on display in her private residence without anyone knowing anything about its provenance except her.
        DocTomoe 4y ago
        Let's talk to a lawyer first about that little concept of "concealment of stolen goods".
        brewdad 4y ago
        She didn't steal it and there's no way anyone could ever presume she knew it was stolen. IF she had kept her mouth shut.
        stevezsa8 4y ago
        This is actually an interesting question. - If you find £10,000 cash in the street, do you keep it? - If you find a watch in the street, do you keep it? - If you bought a laptop from your cousin Vinny for $50 and found out it was stolen, do you keep it? In my country of residence, all of these are crimes (theft by finding / knowingly handling stolen property). Obviously, someone could choose to keep their mouth shut... but that would not change the fact of it being a crime punishable by law.
        trhr 4y ago
        The average American commits 3 felonies a day. I'm willing to keep found treasure as one of my 3.
        joosters 4y ago
        If you don't trust statements in the article, then you have absolutely nothing to base any of this discussion on. Following your reasoning, why do you trust anything in the story, rather than just select pieces of it - does the bust even exist? Is the person in the story real or just made up? Is the bust even Roman? Everyone here is discussing the situation, given the story reported. What else do we, armchair critics, have to go on?
      - MisterBastahrd 4y ago
        The art was looted far before it ever came into that museum's possession.
        robonerd 4y ago
        Why do you think you know that? If an Italian noble finds a marble head when digging out a wine cellar on his own property and keeps it for himself, is that looting? That depends entirely on what the local laws said about such artifacts at the time. You don't know who first found it. You don't know where it was found, and when. You don't even know it was buried in the first place; it might have been privately owned the entire time since it was originally carved, passed along for two thousand years through innumerable legitimate private sales. Here are some things you could know, if you bothered to read up on the matter: Ludwig I never invaded Italy, never sacked Rome, but did visit Italy as was the fashion of anybody in Europe who had the means to do so. He is known to have purchased numerous artifacts and works of art from wealthy Italian collectors and dealers, which might include this bust.
  - brewdad 4y ago
    In the real world, she might lose possession of the object and be out $35 if she can keep her receipt. Still way cheaper than a lawyer. I doubt I would involve lawyers across multiple nations if I ever encountered such a thing. Preserve it, enjoy it, and donate it to a major museum in my home nation when I die. It will find its way to a rightful home.
- watwut 4y ago
  And then marvel in wonder of legal problems you are in, because you did not knew this or that.
vl 4y ago
Judging by the article, there is no way to prove that it was looted in the first place.

tpmx 4y ago

Or you could just keep the receipt from Goodwill and use your money in more better ways than paying a lawyer.

650REDHAIR 4y ago
But that’s not how the real world works. She 100% did the right thing here. And frankly she deserves a payout for all of the legwork.
- tpmx 4y ago
  She deserves a payout because she spent money a on lawyer to get a payout? That seems circular.
  - aiisjustanif 4y ago
    She specifically stated this in her article, > She was in possession of a looted piece of ancient art. She couldn't keep it. She couldn't sell it. And giving it back to its rightful owners was a lot harder than it sounds. Why are you building up a false narrative?
    - robonerd 4y ago
      The article wasn't written by her, that isn't a statement from her. That is the journalist's statement, Matt Largey. It may or may not be completely accurate. What does "couldn't keep it" mean anyway? That she felt morally obliged to return it? Or legally obliged? The article doesn't say.
      - TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
        She certainly could have kept it on display in her private residence without anyone knowing anything about its provenance except her.
        DocTomoe 4y ago
        Let's talk to a lawyer first about that little concept of "concealment of stolen goods".
        brewdad 4y ago
        She didn't steal it and there's no way anyone could ever presume she knew it was stolen. IF she had kept her mouth shut.
        stevezsa8 4y ago
        This is actually an interesting question. - If you find £10,000 cash in the street, do you keep it? - If you find a watch in the street, do you keep it? - If you bought a laptop from your cousin Vinny for $50 and found out it was stolen, do you keep it? In my country of residence, all of these are crimes (theft by finding / knowingly handling stolen property). Obviously, someone could choose to keep their mouth shut... but that would not change the fact of it being a crime punishable by law.
        trhr 4y ago
        The average American commits 3 felonies a day. I'm willing to keep found treasure as one of my 3.
      - joosters 4y ago
        If you don't trust statements in the article, then you have absolutely nothing to base any of this discussion on. Following your reasoning, why do you trust anything in the story, rather than just select pieces of it - does the bust even exist? Is the person in the story real or just made up? Is the bust even Roman? Everyone here is discussing the situation, given the story reported. What else do we, armchair critics, have to go on?
    - MisterBastahrd 4y ago
      The art was looted far before it ever came into that museum's possession.
      - robonerd 4y ago
        Why do you think you know that? If an Italian noble finds a marble head when digging out a wine cellar on his own property and keeps it for himself, is that looting? That depends entirely on what the local laws said about such artifacts at the time. You don't know who first found it. You don't know where it was found, and when. You don't even know it was buried in the first place; it might have been privately owned the entire time since it was originally carved, passed along for two thousand years through innumerable legitimate private sales. Here are some things you could know, if you bothered to read up on the matter: Ludwig I never invaded Italy, never sacked Rome, but did visit Italy as was the fashion of anybody in Europe who had the means to do so. He is known to have purchased numerous artifacts and works of art from wealthy Italian collectors and dealers, which might include this bust.
- brewdad 4y ago
  In the real world, she might lose possession of the object and be out $35 if she can keep her receipt. Still way cheaper than a lawyer. I doubt I would involve lawyers across multiple nations if I ever encountered such a thing. Preserve it, enjoy it, and donate it to a major museum in my home nation when I die. It will find its way to a rightful home.
watwut 4y ago
And then marvel in wonder of legal problems you are in, because you did not knew this or that.

vl 4y ago

Judging by the article, there is no way to prove that it was looted in the first place.