A PRICELESS ancient Peruvian headdress dating back to AD700 has been recovered after an international operation lured the looter to Britain.

The artefact, described as the Mona Lisa of Peru’s heritage, was given to a London solicitor as part of the deal by the smuggler. It was then handed this week to the Metropolitan Police’s art and antiques squad.

The Times can reveal that the smuggler is a millionaire sportsman and well-known figure in the art world. He was tricked into coming to England last month by a former dealer in illegal art who now works to recover smuggled artefacts.

Michel Van Rijn negotiated with the smuggler over several months over how the headdress was to be handed over. Once the piece was in the country, Peruvian authorities contacted British police, who then took possession of it.

The headdress, which depicts the image of a sea god, a mythical octopus with a stylised human head displaying cat-like features and eight tentacles, is made from an embossed sheet of gold and considered to be an example of Ancient Peruvian Mochica Civilisation Art.

Detectives from the art and antiques squad worked closely with the Peruvian authorities, Interpol and government ministers to recover the headdress, which will be returned to Peru through diplomatic channels.

Officers believe that the piece was extracted from the archaeological site La Mina located in the Jequetepeque valley in north Peru. In 1988 a tomb at the site was looted and its contents were trafficked on the black market.

Mr Van Rijn, who gave up his illegal activities 15 years ago, said: “The international trade in looted Peruvian artefacts is worth hundreds of millions of pounds a year.

“This piece in particular is the Mona Lisa of the Mochica culture and if it could be bought would be worth over £1 million.”

Mr Van Rijn, who has a full-time bodyguard, said that he knew who the looter was but would not reveal his name because the police had asked him not to.

The Times has been told who brought the necklace into the country but cannot name him for legal reasons. As well as a sportsman, the man is a well-known figure in the art world and was reportedly convicted of fraud in the United States in 1980s. He is believed to be the head of an international operation that makes millions of pounds each year smuggling relics out of Peru.

Mr Van Rijn said that the smuggler brought the artefact into the country as a bribe. He said that he would take the man’s name off his website where he was named as a trafficker in return for the headdress. “He is a very wealthy man with a lot of good contacts and he is now on the run but is on the radar,” Mr Van Rijn said.

He said that he was now trying to track down many other pieces that had been offered for sale.

Walter Alva, the director of the Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum in Peru, said: “Without a doubt this is a very important moment in the worldwide war against illicit art and the looting of my country.

“We are speaking about an archaeological object from the utmost historical and aesthetical importance which is one of the most important ornaments of the ancient Peruvian cultures.

“No ornament of similar quality can be found in any Peru- vian museum and it is inconceivable that such an important part of national treasure is out of our country.”

Police said that the seizure was significant. Detective Constable Michelle Roycroft, of the art and antiques squad, said: “This is a hugely significant seizure and we are grateful for the extensive knowledge of professionals within the art industry who have worked closely with us to enable us to make such an important recovery.

“We were contacted by the Peruvian authorities and then worked with them to check the piece was genuine and picked it up on Tuesday.”

MASTER POTTERS AND METALWORKERS

• The Mochica or Moche civilisation flourished for about 1,000 years between 200BC and AD700 on the northern coast of what is now Peru. The society’s major ceremonial and administrative site was Moche, now one of Peru’s most monumental archeological sites
  
  
• Mochica tombs are filled with some of the most proficient pottery and metalwork found in the central Andes
  
  
• Mochica ceramics are among the best known of ancient Peruvian artifacts. So-called portrait-head effigy pots are especially notable for realistically depicting human features and portraying emotion
  
  
• Mochica produced more erotic pottery than any pre-Columbian civilization
  
  
• Mochica metalwork was ornate and technologically advanced. Body ornaments of gold, silver, copper, and alloys were inlaid with turquoise and lapis lazuli
  
  
• They irrigated extensively, and their agriculture supported many urban centres, which featured stepped pyramids. The cause of their demise is unknown

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