Ancient Roman bust seized from Massachusetts museum in looting probe

Associated Press

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — A bronze bust believed to depict the daughter of an ancient Roman emperor has been seized from an art museum in Massachusetts by New York authorities investigating antiquities stolen from Turkey. The seizure is the latest in an ongoing investigation into a smuggling network involving objects looted from Bubon in southwestern Turkey and trafficked through Manhattan. The bust known as “Portrait of a Lady” was acquired in 1966 by the Worcester Art Museum about 40 miles west of Boston. The seizure comes weeks after the Manhattan district attorney’s office seized a statue thought to portray the Roman emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius from an Ohio museum.