A Roman glass intaglio with Bacchus standing, leaning on Silenus Roman, from the late 1st century BC to early 1st century AD.
As widely reported, last August the museum announced the discovery that items were missing from its collection. Investigations were launched and appeals made for the return of objects that had been sold on.
Dr Ittai Gradel, a Danish academic and dealer specialising Roman antiquities, who also works as a consultant at Timeline Auctions, first raised the alarm to the museum back in 2021 after spotting a number of items for sale online. However action was not taken until the summer of 2023.
It emerged that around 2000 jewellery items had been stolen over a number of years.
The museum now says: “Thanks to the hard work of the recovery team, and the cooperation of the dealers and members of the public, hundreds of items have been returned. A selection of the recovered gems will be on display for the first time in this showcase.”
Among the items in the new exhibition are Roman glass gems from the late 1st century BC to early 1st century AD. Rediscovering gems will run until June 15.
An intaglio with profile bust of Minerva or Athena in black glass with white band, from the late 1st century BC to early 1st century AD.
The museum added that it is “committed to recovering all the stolen items and to preventing thefts from happening again. A dedicated team within the museum is working with the Metropolitan Police Service and with an international group of experts in gems, collection history and art loss recovery to locate and return the remaining missing items.”
A Roman glass intaglio with mask of Silenus Roman, from the late 1st century BC to early 1st century AD.
Tom Harrison, keeper of the department of Greece and Rome at the British Museum, said: “We are delighted to be able to put on this exhibition and showcase some of the stunning recovered gems which are now safely back in the museum’s collection. It’s also an interesting opportunity to cast some light on an underappreciated and very beautiful art form. A huge thanks goes out to all those who have lent support and helped us in the recovery programme.”
A Roman cameo with bust of Cupid or Eros, in three layers brown on white on purple glass from the late 1st century BC to early 1st century AD.
