Pottery of ancient Greece

Two ancient Greek vases that had been lost for two centuries are set to be auctioned in Saint-Malo, France, according to newspaper Ouest France.

The vases were evaluated by expert archaeologist Jean-Sylvain Caillou.

The auction house, Emeraude, is taking precautions to confirm that the items were not stolen, with plans to contact institutions like the Louvre for verification.

Italian politician Alcide De Gasperi is seen holding his grandson Paolo, now 73, who returned a 5th-century BC Attic krater to Greece last week. The artifact had been gifted to the later Italian prime minister by his Greek counterpart Alexandros Papagos in 1953 and was part of a larger offering that included a looted ancient gold necklace, according to Alcide's daughter, Paola De Gasperi.

An ancient Greek red-figure vase is to be loaned from the British Museum to the Acropolis Museum, leaving London for the first time in 250 years.

The nearly 50-centimeter-high hydria (a form of Greek pottery from between the 7th and 3rd century BC) by the Meidias Painter, dates back to 420 BC. It is painted with scenes from mythology, including one featuring Hercules.

Greek archaeologist Christos Tsirogiannis based in Cambridge is reported to have identified two ancient Greek vases on sale at the well-known Frieze Masters art fair in Regent’s Park, London.