Italy Refuses to Return Discobolus Marble Statue Bought By Hitler
(Source: Darren Milligan and Brad Ireland)
A week after the diplomatic row over the Elgin Marbles, a far less dramatic back-and-forth is taking place between Italy and Germany over a Roman statue famously acquired by Hitler, known as Discobolus Palombara or Discobolus Lancellotti.
The sculpture is a Roman copy of the original bronze sculpture by Athenian sculptor Myron, which is now lost. The discobolus, or ‘disk thrower’, is one of the most widely known Greek sculptures, showcasing the idealised beauty and skill of ancient Greek athletes.
Made in the 2nd century, the marble copy was found in 1781 during excavation works undertaken at the Palombara villa in Rome. By the 1930s the sculpture was privately owned, but caught the eye of Adolf Hitler, who wished to buy it. With Italian dictator Benito Mussolini pressuring the owner into selling against the wishes of his own Minister of National Education, Hitler was able to acquire the statue, which was subsequently transported to Germany.
After the end of the war, the sculpture was included on a list of works of art illegally obtained by Nazis, and returned to Italy in 1948. The Discobolus is now on display at the National Roman Museum, in Rome. Its marble base, made in the 17th century, has however remained at the German State Antiquities Collection in Munich. It was the National Roman Museum’s request to return the base that sparked the dispute.
‘Over my dead body’
Not keen to return the base, the German museum rather maintains that the statue itself should be returned to Germany, as it was legally acquired in 1938 and its return to Italy in 1948 was, in their eyes, illegal. Italian authorities maintain that, as the statue’s owner sold it to Hitler under pressure by the fascist government, the acquisition couldn’t be considered legal.
Italy’s culture minister, Gennaro Sangiuliano, said in an interview that he remains hopeful for the return of the base, while the request to return the statue to Germany is “inadmissible”.
“I made a joke — they’ll have to step over my dead body,’’ he said. “This work was obtained fraudulently by the Nazis, and it’s part of our national heritage.”
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