Art Smuggler's Secret Deal

A convicted antiquities smuggler has offered to return a previously unknown ancient art masterpiece known as "Object X'' to Italy in exchange for reducing the jail time and fines he faces for supplying looted art to U.S. museums. A famous artist from the ancient world whose work compares to that of Michelangelo or Leonardo da Vinci created Object X, says the convicted art dealer, Giacomo Medici, who is free while awaiting appeal. The object, which may be a statue, vase, or something else - he's not saying - is worth millions, he says. "It's something they can only dream about,'' Medici, 68, says of the Italian officials with whom he's negotiating to cut his 10-year prison sentence and 10-million euro ($12.8 million) fine. "And only I can bring it to them.'' Medici's case is part of a broader prosecution that includes Marion True, the former antiquities curator at the J. Paul Getty Art Museum in Los Angeles, who is on trial in Rome for conspiracy and receiving smuggled art. She denies the charges. A sticking point is that Medici wants a guarantee that the market value of the work, referred to as Object X by both sides in the talks, will wipe out his fine. The prosecutor says he wants to see the object before making promises. For the full story - click the title Irish Art