Overview

• The mosaic panel depicting a half-naked couple has been officially returned more than 80 years after being looted by a Nazi Wehrmacht captain during World War II.
• Heirs of the mosaic’s last German owner contacted Italy’s Carabinieri cultural heritage unit, leading to authentication checks and diplomatic repatriation arranged by the Italian Consulate in Stuttgart.
• Dating from the late 1st century B.C. to the 1st century A.D., the artwork represents a cultural shift from mythological scenes to intimate domestic themes in Roman art.
• Now housed at the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, the panel will be catalogued, preserved, and made accessible for educational and research purposes.
• Planned archaeometric analyses aim to fill gaps in provenance and deepen understanding of the mosaic’s original context.