The Department of Antiquities, Deputy Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Cyprus, announces that on 7 March 2026 a Cypriot antiquity was handed over to the High Commission of the Republic of Cyprus in London. The antiquity had been identified in an online auction by the Archaeological Officers of the Department of Antiquities responsible for monitoring the illegal trafficking of Cypriot antiquities on the internet and was withdrawn following consultation with the auction house.

The antiquity consists of a Jug of Black-on-Red III (IV) ware dating to the Cypro-Archaic I period (750–600 BC), featuring a globular body, a short cylindrical neck and a slightly elevated vertical handle from neck to shoulder. It is decorated in black paint on a reddish lustrous slip with groups of concentric circles on each side and bands around the neck. The rim is not preserved.

The Department of Antiquities of the Republic of Cyprus would like to express its gratitude to Watsons Auctioneers and the possessors for their voluntary return of the antiquity to its country of origin, as well as to the Cultural Section of the High Commission of the Republic of Cyprus in London for their cooperation and the coordination of the repatriation procedures.