An American man named John Gomperts claimed a Guardian article about looted antiquities being taken back to their original owners influenced his decision to do the same with 19 antiquities he inherited:
John Gomperts, who lives in Washington, realised that the ancient pieces worth up to £80,000 – including two seventh- and eighth-century BC Cypriot vases – that he had inherited from his grandmother could have come from illicit excavations because they have no collecting history.
He wanted to do the right thing legally and ethically by returning the items to Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Pakistan respectively. After an agreement with his two siblings, he has returned them.
He said: “It seemed like the right thing to do … I read stories on repatriation and I thought: we have these pieces that are 2,500 years old from other countries; we should explore whether we can give them back.”
I have no strong opinions on Mr Gomperts’s decision but I thought it was funny that a Guardian article made him think twice because… it’s The Guardian.