Getty Museum To Return Gold Wreath to Greece

A 4th-century B.C.E. gold funerary wreath, which Greek cultural officials charge was illegally removed from Greece, will be returned to Greece by the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the New York Times reported last night on its Web site. An official announcement was expected today from the Greek Culture Ministry at a press conference in Athens.

On the Getty's Web site, the wreath is described as a 30-inch "circlet" with "sprays of gold leaves and flowers. The blossoms are cut from sheet gold and inlaid with blue and green glass paste, and some of the stamens are tipped with small glass beads." The description continues: "A delicate wreath such as this was too fragile to have actually have been worn and was probably used as a funeral gift."

According to the Times, the Greek police have evidence tracing the wreath to a farmer in northern Greece, who unearthed it in 1990. The Getty acquired the wreath in 1993.