The Netherlands has agreed to return a 3,500‑year‑old carved stone head to Egypt after it surfaced at a Maastricht art fair and was identified as having been looted during Arab Spring unrest in 2011–2012. Dutch investigators concluded the piece had been unlawfully exported and the dealer voluntarily relinquished it after an anonymous tip. The repatriation was announced during Prime Minister Richard Schoof’s visit to Cairo for the opening of the $1.2 billion Grand Egyptian Museum; the head is expected back in Egypt by year‑end. Dutch officials cited the 1970 UNESCO Convention and recent returns, including a Nigerian object and planned Benin Bronzes repatriations, as part of broader restitution efforts.
Netherlands to Repatriate 3,500‑Year‑Old Egyptian Sculpture Following Maastricht Discovery
The Netherlands has agreed to return a 3,500‑year‑old carved stone head to Egypt after it surfaced at a Maastricht art fair and was identified as having been looted during Arab Spring unrest in 2011–2012. Dutch investigators concluded the piece had been unlawfully exported and the dealer voluntarily relinquished it after an anonymous tip. The repatriation was announced during Prime Minister Richard Schoof’s visit to Cairo for the opening of the $1.2 billion Grand Egyptian Museum; the head is expected back in Egypt by year‑end. Dutch officials cited the 1970 UNESCO Convention and recent returns, including a Nigerian object and planned Benin Bronzes repatriations, as part of broader restitution efforts.
06:17, 04.11.2025Culture
Netherlands Agrees to Return Ancient Stone Head to Egypt
The Dutch government has agreed to return a 3,500‑year‑old carved stone head to Egypt, Dutch Prime Minister Richard Schoof announced while visiting Cairo for the official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum. Schoof said the decision comes three years after the fragment surfaced at an art fair and exhibition in Maastricht.
Provenance and Investigation
According to the Information and Heritage Inspectorate, the sculpture was likely stolen during the unrest of the Arab Spring in 2011 or 2012. The object later appeared for sale at a 2022 Maastricht fair for visual arts, antiques and design. After an anonymous tip flagged the piece's illicit origins, the dealer voluntarily handed the head over to Dutch authorities. Subsequent police and inspectorate investigations determined the artifact had been plundered and exported unlawfully.
Description and Cultural Significance
The object is a carved stone head of a high‑ranking official from the era of Pharaoh Thutmose III, dating to roughly 3,500 years ago. The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization notes that Thutmose III's military campaigns helped establish Egypt as a dominant regional power; the sculpture is considered deeply meaningful to Egypt's national identity.
Repatriation and Legal Context
Dutch officials said the sculpture is to be returned to Egypt by the end of the year. The Inspectorate cited the 1970 UNESCO Convention, which aims to prevent the unlawful export of cultural objects and to facilitate the return of illicitly removed heritage, as a guiding framework for repatriation decisions.
Broader Restitution Efforts
The Netherlands has recently taken other repatriation actions: in 2020 it returned a 600‑year‑old Nigerian object that had been smuggled out of the country, and earlier this year it announced plans to repatriate 113 Benin Bronzes from the Wereldmuseum in Leiden — objects looted by British forces during the 1897 Benin Expedition and later dispersed across Europe.
Museum Opening and Context
The announcement coincided with the opening of the new Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, a $1.2 billion facility housing more than 100,000 artifacts, including the full contents of Tutankhamun’s tomb and his gilded funerary mask. The museum's inauguration drew international attention and diplomatic visits, underscoring global interest in Egypt's cultural heritage.
“The sculpture is deeply meaningful to Egypt’s identity. The Netherlands is committed both nationally and internationally to ensuring the return of heritage to its original owners,” the Inspectorate said.
The older Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, opened in 1902, continues to display many artifacts as the new museum begins operations.