On Monday, the Netherlands returned a cultural object for the first time since the signing of the UNESCO treaty in 2009 against illegal cultural trade, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science reports. It is a unique and rare terracotta head from the Ifé area in Nigeria.
The object, a pottery 16 centimeters high, represents a young woman or girl. She has braided her hair into buns.
The cup was found by customs at Schiphol Airport in a shipment that was intended for a Dutch private person. Its documents turned out to be incorrect. Nigeria confirmed the authenticity of the terracotta cup upon inquiry and requested formal restitution.
Pottery from the Ifé area in Nigeria is a protected and endangered heritage. Trade in these items is prohibited. The objects, which are usually found during archaeological research or construction work, but may also have been stolen from museums, date from the twelfth to the fifteenth century.
In 2009, the Netherlands joined the UNESCO Convention, which aims to combat the illegal trade in cultural goods. One of the obligations is that member countries assist each other when unlawfully exported objects are discovered.
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