Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 1. (2019)
Marius-Mihai Ciută: Two Sculptural Pieces Recently Returned to the National Cultural Heritage
72 М. М. Ciutä Fig. 1. The room where the artefacts were found: the limestone lion (1) in the lower right corner, the sandstone lion head on the shelf (2). the items belonging to the cultural heritage. It can be connected also to certain behaviours that strive towards being exotic, with aristocratic and intellectual hue, meant to induce the affiliation to certain social status, allegedly elitist in nature. The origins of this behavioural pattern are lost into the haze of times, usually being associated more with the mercantile spirit, not very rarely being assimilated, in extreme cases, to some pathologic type of manifestations. The sculptural pieces were found at the residence of a citizen from Alba Iulia in February 2018 along with further archaeological and art objects (Fig. 1-2). The suspicions related to their illegal origin, determined the start-up of a judicial investigation, followed by the unavailability of such items,2 their submission, as corpus delicti items, at the National Unification Museum in Alba Iulia. First judicial activity was the solicitation, by means of the Ordinance from 16 Fig. 2. Photo of the limestone lion, at the time of the judicial search. February 2018, of an expert report concerning each of these items.3 The judicial objectives of recovery of the artefacts lot, respectively the clarification of the circumstances whereby they ended up in the possession of the individual, are completed by those related to the recovery of the information with relevance for the historical interpretation and their significance. By exclusively claiming the archaeological interest, the recovery of direct or indirect data and information was attempted, related to the way the collector ended up owning the items.4 Whereas there is always the risk for the investigated individual to have certain fears and suspicions, respectively hide their true origin, to skew the conditions of the discovery or the path followed by the artefact, the data provided must be filtered, thereafter verified and investigated by all means and methods. 2 From the home of the citizen S.N. 14 cultural items were taken, including 8 of archaeological provenience and 6 religious items (old books, wood icons and glass icons). The pieces have been filed as corpus delicti offenses at the National Museum of the Union of Alba Iulia. 3 On 2 March 2018, the Expert Report submitted to the file concerning the two pieces, made by dr. Radu Ciobanu, expert at the National Unification Museum in Alba Iulia, confirm the suspicion: “The piece is a Roman funerary piece of art, namely a funeral lion, belongs undoubtedly to the national cultural heritage and can be classified as Fund / Roman. The legal protection regime is regulated by the Government Ordinance 43/2000, Law 180/2000 and Law 2013/2017. An inventory value of approximately 1000 RON can be determined. The market value of the piece in question could not yet be determined. Trade in artistic goods does not include Roman sculptural art pieces. The sculptures are identical or very similar to those found in the collection of the Museum in Alba Iulia, which came both from systematic archaeological research and other types of discoveries” (Radu Ciobanu: Expert Report within the criminal file 370/P/2018, Alba Iulia, 1 March 2018). 4 The holder presents a somewhat credible version at a first glance, respectively of buying the first piece, from a citizen residing in Bucerdea Gränoasä, Alba County.
