The mystery of the missing bronze bust has been solved, Dalhousie University spokesman Charles Crosby said yesterday.
He said someone anonymously returned the sculpture of Montreal pianist Ellen Ballon late Thursday to a local law firm, which then turned it over to the Halifax post-secondary school. The pricey piece of art went missing from the Dalhousie Arts Centre last weekend.
“As far as I understand, a concerned citizen found it and got it back to us,” Crosby said.
He said the university still doesn’t know why the life-size bust was taken, but it suffered some minor damage while it was away from its home atop a podium on the main floor.
“We’re restoring it now,” Crosby said.
Crosby said the unique sculpture by Sir Jacob Epstein was last assessed in the 1980s at $7,000, but couldn’t say how much it has grown in value since then.
“We’ve never really looked at it as a monetary piece, so much as an important part of our collection,” Crosby said.
