Courtesy Photo / San Antonio Museum of Art
Laura Young (left) poses with the bust on display with UT Austin professor Stephennie Mulder, lawyer Leila A. Amineddoleh and SAMA curators Lynley McAlpine and Jessica Powers.
The ancient Roman bust that made international headlines last year for being found at a Goodwill will finally make its way back to Germany — where it was looted from over 70 years ago at the end of World War II — in May.
The bust, bought for $34.99 in 2018 by antiques collector Laura Young at a Goodwill on Far West Boulevard in Austin, landed at the San Antonio Museum of Art after four years of negotiation between Young’s lawyer, Leila A. Amineddoleh, who specializes in art law, and the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes. With assistance from the San Antonio Museum of Art, a settlement was reached that allowed the bust to stay at the museum for the past year.
The bust will remain on view at SAMA through May 21, after which it will be returned
The bust, bought for $34.99 in 2018 by antiques collector Laura Young at a Goodwill on Far West Boulevard in Austin, landed at the San Antonio Museum of Art after four years of negotiation between Young’s lawyer, Leila A. Amineddoleh, who specializes in art law, and the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes. With assistance from the San Antonio Museum of Art, a settlement was reached that allowed the bust to stay at the museum for the past year.
The bust will remain on view at SAMA through May 21, after which it will be returned
Courtesy Photo / San Antonio Museum of Art
Portrait of a man, Roman, late 1st century B.C.-early 1st century A.D., Marble, Lent by the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes.
to Germany.
When Young first found the bust, she knew she likely stumbled upon something of value — at 52 pounds and solid marble, the sculpture was not your run-of-the-mill Goodwill garden statue. Young then got in contact with two auction houses to determine its value.
She didn’t yet realize she found a centuries-old sculpture, dated between the first century BC to the early first century AD. The bust was identified as once belonging to King Ludwig I of the German state of Bavaria, and was housed in the king's Pompejanum until it was bombed during World War II.
The Pompejanum was built in the 1840s in the city of Aschanffenburg and made to resemble a Pompeiian house from the first century. It contained the Bavarian king’s collection of Roman art — among them, the bust.
However, when Allied troops bombed the city in 1945, the Pompejanum came under fire and much of it was destroyed. In all likelihood, an American soldier looted the bust and somehow it ended up in Texas.
When Young first found the bust, she knew she likely stumbled upon something of value — at 52 pounds and solid marble, the sculpture was not your run-of-the-mill Goodwill garden statue. Young then got in contact with two auction houses to determine its value.
She didn’t yet realize she found a centuries-old sculpture, dated between the first century BC to the early first century AD. The bust was identified as once belonging to King Ludwig I of the German state of Bavaria, and was housed in the king's Pompejanum until it was bombed during World War II.
The Pompejanum was built in the 1840s in the city of Aschanffenburg and made to resemble a Pompeiian house from the first century. It contained the Bavarian king’s collection of Roman art — among them, the bust.
However, when Allied troops bombed the city in 1945, the Pompejanum came under fire and much of it was destroyed. In all likelihood, an American soldier looted the bust and somehow it ended up in Texas.
Courtesy Photo / Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes
The portrait displayed in the courtyard of the Pompejanum, Aschaffenburg, 1931.
Since transfer of title resulting from art theft is not recognized under U.S. law, Young was not the rightful owner, and her lawyer encouraged her not to try to sell the piece.
After an agreement with the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes was reached, the bust made its way to the San Antonio Museum of Art one year ago. Titled Portrait of a man, since the inspiration for the bust’s face remains up for debate — is it Roman leader Drusus Germanicus, or a son of leader Pompey? — the sculpture has been displayed alongside a sign detailing its improbable thrift store origins.
The agreement reflects international cooperation that’s a shining example of how art museums participate in diplomacy to allow the public in engage in history. The bust has so far been visited by thousands of visitors, including Archduke Carl Christian of Austria, Mayor Ron Nirenberg and others.
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After an agreement with the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes was reached, the bust made its way to the San Antonio Museum of Art one year ago. Titled Portrait of a man, since the inspiration for the bust’s face remains up for debate — is it Roman leader Drusus Germanicus, or a son of leader Pompey? — the sculpture has been displayed alongside a sign detailing its improbable thrift store origins.
The agreement reflects international cooperation that’s a shining example of how art museums participate in diplomacy to allow the public in engage in history. The bust has so far been visited by thousands of visitors, including Archduke Carl Christian of Austria, Mayor Ron Nirenberg and others.
Coming soon: SA Current Daily newsletter. We’ll send you a handful of interesting San Antonio stories every morning. Subscribe now to not miss a thing.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
