A small, pre-Hispanic bowl, believed to be roughly 2,000 years old, is returning to Peru after being located in Montreal.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) says its Art Crime and Cultural Heritage Crime initiative identified the Nasca-style artifact last June “at a Montreal auction house when it was listed for sale as part of a lot of three bowls.”
“Two of the bowls were of little value, while the third was noticed by Peruvian authorities, owing to its cultural and historical significance,” the force said.
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As such, officials from the Peruvian Embassy in Canada contacted Global Affairs Canada “via diplomatic note requesting the bowl be repatriated.”
This was done under the provisions of the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.
“The bowl itself may be small, but it is part of a much larger story, which informs the history of Peru and its people,” said RCMP Financial Crime Director, Inspector Dawn Morris-Little. “It is satisfying for us to contribute to its safe return. This successful repatriation demonstrates the value of cooperation between law enforcement, governments, cultural institutions and private individuals.”
The RCMP explains that the bowl’s seller, a Montrealer, “came to possess it through inheritance.”
“The auction house agreed to suspend the sale, and the artifact was voluntarily relinquished following discussions between the RCMP, representatives of the Government of Peru and the possessor,” the force noted.
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The bowl was taken into RCMP custody and formally presented to representatives of the Peruvian Consulate in Montreal on July 16 prior to being returned to its country of origin.
“The possessor was not financially compensated but did receive a letter of thanks from the Peruvian government following the transfer,” the RCMP states. “No criminal charges were associated with the recovery or repatriation.”
