AP reports from Rome that the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles has vowed to assert its right to keep an important Greek statue after Italy’s highest court rejected its appeal of a ruling ordering the artwork returned to Italy. The ANSA news agency noted Tuesday the Court of Cassation rejected the appeal outright earlier this week. “Victorious Youth,” a life-sized bronze dating from 300 B.C. to 100 B.C., is one of the highlights of the collection. An Italian court in Pesaro had ordered it seized and returned in 2010, at the height of Italy’s campaign to recover antiquities looted from its territory and sold to museums and private collectors around the world. The Getty argues that Italy has no claim to the bronze, which was pulled from the sea in 1964 by Italian fishermen, purchased by the Getty in 1977 for $4 million and on display at the Getty since. It’s not clear if the Getty will now take an appeal to a European court. Also uncertain is if and how the Italian government will try to get the statue back. The Cassation hasn’t yet issued its written ruling explaining its decision. The Getty pointed out that the statue is of Greek origin, was found in international waters and has never been part of Italy’s cultural heritage. It cited a 1968 Cassation ruling that found no evidence that the statue belonged to Italy. Read more at thenationalherald.com RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Flickr, Getty Villa - Collection License: CC-BY-SA