Goodwill found in Texas turns out to be an ancient Roman bust

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A marble bust that a Texas A woman bought for nearly $50 from a Goodwill store is temporarily on display at a San Antonio museum after experts determined it was a centuries-old sculpture missing from Germany since World War II .

The bust, which art collector Laura Young found at Goodwill in 2018, once belonged to the collection of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, according to the San Antonio Museum of Art, which is temporarily displaying the piece until be sent back to Germany next year.

the old Roman The bust dates to the first century BC or first century AD and historians believe it may represent a son of Pompey the Great, who was defeated in a civil war by Julius Caesar, the museum said.
This undated photo shows a marble bust a Texas woman bought for around $50 from a Goodwill store is temporarily on display at a museum in San Antonio after experts determined it was a sculpture centuries old vanished from Germany since World War II. (AP)

The sculpture was last seen in Aschaffenburg, Germany, and experts believe a soldier took the sculpture and brought it to the United States, the museum said.

A Sotheby’s consultant identified the work and it was later authenticated, the museum said.

“We are very pleased that a piece of Bavarian history that we thought was lost has reappeared and can soon find its rightful place,” said Bernd Schreiber, chairman of the Bavarian Administration for Castles, Gardens and Lakes belonging to the State. .

Young said there were a few months of “intense excitement” after learning the story behind the coin, which she found on the floor under a table at a Goodwill in Austin, Texas.

The largest known North American rock art has been hidden for over 1000 years

The largest known North American rock art has been hidden for over 1000 years

Young has reached an agreement to return the bust to Germany with the help of an attorney who specializes in international art law, Austin radio station KUT reported.

The terms of this agreement were confidential.

“But it was bittersweet because I knew I couldn’t keep or sell the (bust),” she said.

“Either way, I’m glad I got to be a part of (his) long and complicated story, and he looked great in the house while I had him.”

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