Sicily sets precedent with return of ‘Fagan fragment’

The “Fagan fragment” from the Antonino Salinas Museum in Palermo is returning to Greece to be exhibited at Athens’ Acropolis Museum for eight years.

The fragment depicts the foot of the goddess Artemis, peeking out from a beautifully crafted tunic. It was taken from the eastern frieze of the Parthenon, which depicts the gods of Olympus seated as they observe the delivery of the veil to Athena.

It was once part of the collection of Robert Fagan, a former British consul for Sicily and Malta. In exchange, the Acropolis Museum will send to Sicily, for four years, a headless statue of Athena from the end of the 5th century BC and an amphora from the first half of the 8th century BC.

The deal essentially makes Sicily a trailblazer regarding Greece’s struggle to repatriate the Parthenon Sculptures from the British Museum to Greece.