Netherlands returns 3,500-year-old looted sculpture to Egypt

The Netherlands has returned a 3,500-year-old sculpture to Egypt after the looted artefact resurfaced at a Dutch art fair in 2022.

An investigation by Dutch police and cultural heritage inspectorate confirmed in 2025 the sculpture had been plundered and unlawfully removed from Egypt, most likely during the Arab Spring unrest of 2011, before appearing on the international art market.

Experts said the artefact, a stone head that was originally part of a block statue, originated from Luxor in southern Egypt. It depicts a senior official from the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose III (1479–1425 BC).

It was confiscated in 2022 at an art fair in the Dutch city of Maastricht. Art dealer Sycomore Ancient Art, which had acquired the piece but had doubts about its provenance, voluntarily surrendered it following the inquiry.

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“Our policy is to return what doesn’t belong to us and to return it always to the rightful cultural group or country,” Dutch Culture Minister Gouke Moes said in handing over the artefact to the Egyptian ambassador.

Egyptian Ambassador Emad Hanna told Reuters the country tracks artefacts that appear in exhibitions or auctions.

“It means a lot to us when it comes to tourism and economy, because at the end of the day, when tourists come to Egypt to see these things, it definitely makes a difference,” Hanna said.

The Star