A marble bas-relief that decorated the home of a Belgian family for almost 50 years has turned out to be a 2,000-year-old relic from Pompeii, the ancient Roman city near Italy's Mount Vesuvius.
The discovery came when the family had the artefact examined by art experts as they prepared to sell their house in Herzele, west of Brussels.
Photos of the marble relief, which had been inlaid for years in a wall of the home, were emailed to an expert at the Gallo-Roman Museum in Tongeren, Belgium.
Its director of exhibitions, Bart de Marsin, who is also an archaeologist, quickly identified the object as a likely ancient relic.
"It soon became clear to us that it was an object from Pompeii, stolen in the 1970s," he told Belgian daily De Standaard.
Pompeï-souvenir van vijftig jaar geleden blijkt topstuk: ‘De experts waren vriendelijk maar stuurden wel de politie’ https://t.co/3pEHyk8N8C pic.twitter.com/tj4VarsrnH
— De Standaard (@destandaard) December 14, 2023
'Hugely important'
When Marsin travelled to Herzele to identify the object, his intuition was confirmed: it was indeed from Pompeii.
On the marble plaque are reliefs representing an earthquake that hit Pompeii in 62 BC, with part of the walls in the process of collapsing", he said.
"In Pompeii, there are only two pieces of material evidence of the earthquake. These are very important objects for the history of the city."
Sold by street vendor
The owner said he had bought the bas-relief from a street vendor while on holiday in Italy in 1975, adding that he had no idea it was an original.
He was visited by the authorities who were seeking more information as to the conditions under which the object had been acquired.
The family is hoping to obtain financial compensation for keeping it for so long.
The piece is to be returned to Italy, where it will be placed on exhibition in a museum.
