Cleveland Museum of Art and District Attorney of New York Reach Agreement on Draped Male Figure (the Philosopher)

CLEVELAND (February 14, 2025)—Following the results of new scientific testing, conducted in cooperation with the Republic of Türkiye and the District Attorney of New York County (Manhattan), the Cleveland Museum of Art has made the decision to transfer the Greek or Roman bronze statue of a draped male figure (the Philosopher) to the district attorney for delivery to the Republic of Türkiye. The test results led the museum to conclude that the statue was likely present at the site commonly known as the Sebasteion in the ancient city of Bubon, Türkiye. 

Those tests involved creating molds of the statue’s feet, including a lead plug in the left foot, and comparing them to stone pedestals located at the Sebasteion, which retain certain holes on their upper surfaces to hold the feet of statues. In addition to the physical comparison, photogrammetric models were created of the statue and of blocks at the Sebasteion, allowing for additional comparative analysis. Lead isotope analyses were also performed on both the lead preserved within the statue’s foot and samples taken from a stone pedestal at the Sebasteion. Finally, three different types of analyses were done on soil sampled from within the Philosopher, from three different areas at Bubon, and from a separate statue known to have been at the Sebasteion. The collective results of these tests led the museum to conclude that the statue had likely been unearthed at Bubon. 

The museum appreciates the cooperation provided by officials in Türkiye and at the district attorney’s office to come to a scientific resolution of the issues surrounding the statue. Without this new research, the museum would not have been able to determine with confidence that the statue was once present at the site. The museum and Turkish officials are considering a temporary display of the statue in Cleveland prior to its transfer to Türkiye for cultural cooperation between Türkiye and the museum.

The extensive testing and examination of the site also support the museum’s relatively recent determination that the statue is probably not a representation of Marcus Aurelius, but rather a statue of a Greek philosopher. The stone base at the Sebasteion where the statue was likely located does not bear any inscription. Although there is an inscription on a separate stone base at the Sebasteion that bears a legend in ancient Greek of “Marcus Aurelius,” the new tests suggest that the Philosopher is highly unlikely to have ever been on that stone base. Without a head or identifying inscription, the identity of the statue remains uncertain. 

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About the Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is renowned for the quality and breadth of its collection, which includes more than 66,500 artworks and spans 6,000 years of achievement in the arts. The museum is a significant international forum for exhibitions, scholarship, and performing arts and is a leader in digital innovation. One of the leading encyclopedic art museums in the United States, the CMA is recognized for its award-winning open access program—which provides free digital access to images and information about works in the museum’s collection—and free of charge to all. The museum is located in the University Circle neighborhood with two satellite locations on Cleveland’s west side: the Community Arts Center and Transformer Station.

The museum is supported in part by residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture and made possible in part by the Ohio Arts Council (OAC), which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts. The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically. For more information about the museum and its holdings, programs, and events, call 888-CMA-0033 or visit cma.org.