RED LIST

OF DOMINICANCULTURALOBJECTS AT RISKR E D L I S LTOBJECTS AT RISKULTURACNACINIM
OF DOIntroduction

PurposeThe island of Hispaniola is made up of two
sovereign states: the Republic of Haiti and theDominican Republic.

Following the publication of the Emergency
Red List of Haitian Cultural Objects at Risk,
drafted after the devastating earthquake thatshook the country on 12 January 2010, theRed List of Dominican Cultural Objects at Risk
completes the protection devices regarding
the island of Hispaniola.

With objects dating from the Prehispanic,
Colonial and Republican periods, the Dominican
Republic is endowed with a unique and richcultural heritage, characterized mainly by theencountering of three civilizations: the Taíno,
the African and the European.
The Dominican Republic, recognizing thesignificance of its cultural richness, formallyacknowledged the importance of protecting
this heritage and has started to approve nationallaws in this regard since as far back as 1903.
The recent global rise of illicit trafficking
in cultural objects has given the heritage
community reasons for concern. The looting,smuggling and illegal trading of cultural goods
lead to a significant loss in the understandingof history. The Red List of Dominican Cultural
Objects at Risk has been drafted in cooperation
with a team of national and international
experts in order to fight this rising trend.

The Dominican Red List aims to help art andheritage professionals and law enforcement
officials identify Dominican objects that areprotected by national and international
legislations. In order to facilitate identification,
the Red List illustrates the categories or typesof cultural items that are most likely to beillegally traded.
Museums, auction houses, art dealers andcollectors are encouraged not to acquire objects
similar to those presented in the List without
having carefully and thoroughly researchedtheir origin and all relevant legal documentation.
Due to the great diversity of objects, styles
and periods, the Red List of Dominican Cultural
Objects at Risk is far from exhaustive. Any
cultural good that could have originated fromthe Dominican Republic should be subjected
to detailed scrutiny and precautionary measures.

The cultural heritage of the Dominican Republic
is protected by the following national and international laws:
NATIONAL LEGISLATION
Decree No. 4347 which Declares archaeological objects property of the State(26 December 1903).
Law No. 293 which Creates a Commission for Monuments’ Conservation,
works and pieces of historical, artistic or Archaeological importance(20 February 1932).
Law No. 638-1944 on the Erection of statues and other public monuments(28 June 1944).
Decree No. 1397 which Creates within the Directorate General of Tourism
the Bureau of Cultural Heritage, and dictates other dispositions (17 June 1967),and addendum Decree No. 1398, which Charges the Bureau of CulturalHeritage the fixating of limits of the “Colonial City”, within the perimeterof the city of Santo Domingo de Guzmán (17 June 1967).
Law No. 318 on the Cultural Heritage of the Nation (14 June 1968),
modified by the Law No. 41-00 (28 June 2000).

Decree No. 2310 Creating the Centre for Cultural Property Inventory(6 September 1976) and addendum Decree No. 2024 Establishing the Centrefor Cultural Property Inventory as a Unit of the Office of Cultural Heritage(9 October 1980).
Decree No. 683 Creating and integrating a Commission in Charge of theUnderwater Archaeological Rescue Programme (28 February 1979),
as amended by Decree No. 310-87 Creating and integrating a Commissionin Charge of the Underwater Archaeological Rescue Programme,
dependent of the Executive Branch (30 June 1987).
Decree No. 289-99 Creating the Bureau of Underwater Cultural Heritage(30 June 1999).
Law No. 41-00 Creating the Secretariat of State for Culture (28 June 2000).
Article 64 regarding the Right to Culture of the Constitutionof the Dominican Republic, proclaimed on 26 January 2010.

Regulation No. 4195 on the Office of Cultural Heritage (20 September 1969).

INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS

Resolution No. 416 of 1972 Approving the Convention on the Meansof Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transferof Ownership of Cultural Property (15 November 1972).

The Hague Convention of 14 May 1954 for the Protection of Cultural Property
in the Event of Armed Conflict (adhered, 5 January 1960), the first Protocol(adhered, 21 March 2002) and the Second Protocol (adhered, 3 March 2009).

Law No. 564 for the Protection and Conservation of National ethnologicaland archaeological objects (8 October 1973),
as amended by the Law No. 41-00 (28 June 2000).

UNESCO Convention of 14 November 1970 on the Means of Prohibitingand Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownershipof Cultural Property (ratified, 7 March 1973).
UNESCO Convention of 16 November 1972 Concerning the Protectionof the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (ratified, 12 February 1985).

Should you suspect that a cultural object originating from the Dominican Republic
may be stolen, looted or illegally exported, please contact:
Centro de Inventario de Bienes Culturales

Dirección General de Aduanas

Calle Luperón # 56, esq. Hostos
Ciudad Colonial de Santo Domingo
Dominican Republic

Unidad de Patrimonio CulturalAve. Abraham Lincoln # 1101 - Santo DomingoDominican Republic

Tel: +1 809 688 9105 / +1 809 689 2740

Tel: +1 809 547 7070, ext. 2563

E-mail: cibc1976@hotmail.com

E-mail: v.bisono@dga.gov.doRED

LISTOFDOMINICANIMPORTANT NOTE: A Red List is NOT a list of actual stolen objects. The cultural goods depicted are of inventoried objects within the collections of recognised
institutions. They serve to illustrate the categories of cultural goods protected by legislation and most vulnerable to illicit traffic.
ICOM wishes to thank all of the institutions and people who so generously provided the photographs presented in the Dominican Red List. All objects reproducedin this Red List belong to collections located in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

PREHISPANIC PERIOD(7th - 15th centuries)

The copyright for the images in this section belongs to the Fundación García Arévalo in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Vessels and tableware
Ceramics > “Potizas”, effigy vessels and “caritas de indios”: Pots, handles and handle fragments (“caritasde indios”). Made of ceramics (clay, terracotta), may be decorated with geometrical motifs, humans, animals
or hybrids. Effigy vessels represent, in the central body, a person or animal. [1–2]

1. Ceramic heart-shaped “potiza”, Taíno culture (11th - 15th centuries), 27 x 22.8 cm.
2. Ceramic effigy vessel, Las Yayas (San Juan de la Maguana),Taíno culture (11th - 15th centuries), 18 x 20.4 cm.

2

1

Various materials > Plates, pots and spoons: Made of stone, ceramics, terracotta and/or from seashells.
The rims have strips incised with geometrical motifs; handles are shaped as humans or hybrids. [3]“Burenes”: Ceramic plates or pots, round and flat.
Vessels: Made of wood or ceramics, may be adorned. Wood with humanoid
faces and/or animal representations; ceramic vessels with incisions or colours.
3. Ceramic pot, Taíno culture (11th - 15th centuries),
18 x 22.5 cm.
3

Utilitarian objects

Stone > Mortars and pestles: Mortars, unadorned, and pestles (conical or polygonal) which may be carved
with geometrical, human, animal or hybrid figures. [4–5]
Various materials > Axes: Made of stone or seashells. May be shaped as human beings, animals or flower
petals. [6]Axe handles: Made of wood, carved in the shape of humans or animals.
Seashells > “Guayzas” (masks): Human faces with perforated eye sockets and the mouth showing its teeth. [7]4. Humanoid stone pestle,
Taíno culture (11th - 15th centuries), 20 x Ø 13.3 cm.
5. Conic stone pestle with geometric designs,
Taíno culture (11th - 15th centuries), 24 x Ø 11.5 cm.
6. Stone petaloid ceremonial axe,Taíno culture (11th - 15th centuries), 22 cm.
7. Seashell “Guayza”,Taíno culture (11th - 15th centuries), 9.5 x 7 cm.

4567

CULTURAL OBJECTS AT RISK
Objects for religious or ceremonial use
Wood > Furniture: Tables and stools with a high back (“duhos”), decorated and carved in the shape of humanbeings and/or animals. [8]Vessels: Adorned with humanoid faces and/or animal
representations. [9]Maracas: Made from a single piece of wood.
Length: 20-40 cm. [10]8. Wooden “duho”, Taíno culture (11th - 15th centuries), 43.3 x 73.6 x 25 cm.
9. Wooden funerary urn, Sierra de Bahoruco,
Taíno culture (11th - 15th centuries), 69 x 30 x 30 cm.
10. Wooden one-piece maraca, Taíno culture (11th - 15th centuries).

8910

Various materials > Artefacts and ornaments: Made from wood, stone, seashells, manatee rib-bones,
sometimes gilded. Shaped into geometrical figures, humans or animals. [11–12–13–14]“Pintaderas”: Stamps made from mud, ceramics, clay or wood, for decorating the body (concentric circles,geometrical or animal figures). Dimensions: 5-20 cm. [15]11. Manatee rib vomit spatulas with humanoid and reptilian
shapes, Taíno culture (11th - 15th centuries), 33 and 29 cm.
12. Manatee rib “cohoba” inhalator,
Taíno culture (11th - 15th centuries), 8.6 x 5.8 cm.
13. Stone twin amulet representing two men joinedat the feet, Taíno culture (11th - 15th centuries), 16.7 cm.

111213

14. Seashell belt, Taíno culture (11th - 15th centuries),
110 x 5 cm.
15. Wooden “pintaderas”,
Taíno culture (11th - 15th centuries).

1415

Sculptures and mural paintings > Zemis: Ceramic, terracotta, stone, wood or bonefigures. In the shape of human beings or animals. Maximum height: 1 m.
Trigonoliths: Stone three-pointed zemis (triangular) representing abstract or geometricalfigures, humans, animals or hybrids. [16]16

Petroglyphs: Stalactites or rocks with geometrical, abstract or figurative (human beings,animals, objects) motifs. Sculpted, incised, using the stone’s natural relief or outlinedwith a furrowed or dotted groove (may be coloured).
16. Humanoid stone trigonolith,
Taíno culture (11th - 15th centuries), 18 x 20.5 cm.

COLONIAL AND REPUBLICAN PERIODS(15th - 20th centuries)

Vessels and tableware
Glasses and stemware: Glasses (blown glass) and stemware (glass or porcelain) with geometrical, floral
and/or animal figures carved around the rim. Height: 5 cm (glasses) and 15 cm (stem-glasses). [17]Containers: Vessels made out of ceramic, glazed ceramic or porcelain; may be plain, decorated with low reliefs,
monochromatic colours, landscapes and/or geometrical motifs. Pitchers made out of metal (silver, copper,bronze) or from carved wood; may be gilded and/or have bone or mother-of-pearl inlays. [18–19]

REDLISTOFDOMINICAN

Tableware: Metalwork (copper, bronze, pewter, silver, gold), glass, ceramics, glazed ceramic or porcelain.
Decorated with landscapes, geometrical or floral motifs and/or gilded. [20]17. Cristal glass, Spanish Galeon “Conde de Tolosa”, 1724.
© Museo Naval de las Reales Atarazanas
18. Clay container, end of the 19th century, 33 x Ø 41 cm.
© Private collection
19. Silver pitcher, Spain, 17th century, 14 x Ø 12.5 x Ø 11.5 cm.
© Alcázar de Colón

1917

20. Ceramic bowl, Talavera (Spain), 16th century, 10 x Ø 30 cm.
© Museo Naval de las Reales Atarazanas

2018

Sculpted objects

Wood, limestone, marble or metal decorative or commemorative funerary sculpturesand plaques. Representing secular or religious themes.
Sculptures in glazed ceramic or porcelain (sometimes painted with landscapes,or geometrical or floral motifs) or metalwork (copper, bronze, silver, gold);
representing people, animals, angels, saints, etc. [21]Stone and marble statues may be carved in high relief.
21. Wooden statue of an angel playing a harp, probably from Spain,
16th century, 36 x 27 cm. © Alcázar de Colón

Objects of a religious nature

Various materials > Ritual objects and amulets: Made from ceramics, porcelain,bone or metalwork (copper, bronze, silver, gold); decorated according to their use.
Small and elongated jet (black stone) pieces; carved and/or unpolished. [22–23]

21

Metal > Reliquaries: Made from pewter, circular, with floral motifs. They contain a space to keep an image,with a glass to protect it. [24]Chalices, tabernacles and patens: Made from copper, bronze, silver and gold. May be engraved with floral
or religious motifs. [25]22232425

22. Gilded silver holy water dispenser and sprinkler with religious motifs, Santo Domingo,
beginning of the 20th century, 17.8 x Ø 12.7 cm, sprinkler 20.3 cm. © Iglesia de Santo Domingo

24. Pewter reliquaries, Spanish galleon “Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe”, 1724,
4.9 x 3.8 x 0.45 cm. © Museo Naval de las Reales Atarazanas

23. Jet amulets shaped as figas and fists, Spanish galleon “Conde de Tolosa”,
18th century, 1.2 cm. © Museo Naval de las Reales Atarazanas

25. Gilded silver chalice engraved with religious motifs, Santo Domingo,
beginning of the 20th century, 25 x Ø 15 cm. © Iglesia de Santo Domingo

Accessories and decorative objects
Metal > Jewellery and accessories: Made from copper, bronze, silver, and/or gold; sometimes with preciousstones. [26]Various materials > Paintings, drawings, engravings and frames: Paintings (on metal, wood, paper,canvas) and engravings (on paper), with secular (portrait, historic scenes, etc.) or religious themes.

CULTURAL OBJECTS AT RISKPencil or ink drawings (on paper). Wooden frames, may be gilded. [27]26. Jewellery made of gold and precious stones, Spanish galleon “Conde de Tolosa”,
18th century, max. 1.7 x min. 3.2 x min. 1.5 cm.
© Museo Naval de las Reales Atarazanas
27. “Swearing into Office of the President Alejandro Woss y Gil”,
Luis Desangles, oil on canvas, Santo Domingo, 1903, 71 x 97 cm.
© Museo Bellapart27

26

Daily life
Various materials > Pipes: Made from bone, glazed ceramic or porcelain; with geometrical or floral motifs. [28]Suitcases, chests and boxes: Leather suitcases, chests carved from bone, brass chests and boxes.
With ornaments made from iron and/or metalwork. Metal jewellery boxes (copper, bronze, silver, gold).
Reliefs and inlays with geometrical, floral and/or animal figures. [29]Bone > Dice and combs: Dice with protruding tips and unadorned carved combs (length: 6-15 cm). [30]
Wood > Furniture: From carved wood, may have geometric, floral and/or animal figures in relief. Sometimes
ornamented with bone and mother-of-pearl inlays and/or gilded.
Metal > Seals: Copper, bronze, silver or gold. [31]

2830

29

31

28. Bone pipes, The Netherlands, 19th century,
7-15 x 5 cm. © Museo Naval de las Reales Atarazanas

30. Ivory dice, Spanish galleon “Conde de Tolosa”, 18th century,1 x 1 x 1 cm. © Museo Naval de las Reales Atarazanas

29. Metal chest coated in kid leather and gold, Spain, 16th century,
12 x 20 x 13 cm. © Alcázar de Colón

31. Metal papal seals, Vatican, Ø 5 x 0.5 cm.
© Museo numismático del Banco Central

Numismatics and philately
Coins: Made from silver, copper, billon (silver-copper alloy), bronze, pewter or gold. Most appear distorted.
May be stamped with a key, small cross or the assayer’s symbol. The flip side usually presents the mint’ssymbol. [32–33]
Stamps: Reales, cents or pesos; illustrated with the national shield, scenes from Dominican history or otherthemes. [34]

3233

34

32. Silver coin of 8 reales, Mexican galleon “Nuestra Señora de la Pura y Limpia
Concepción”, 17th century, Ø 4 cm. © Museo numismático del Banco Central
33. Silver coin of 1 peso, Philadelphia Mint (USA), 1897, Ø 1.6 cm.
© Museo numismático del Banco Central

34. Dominican stamp of 1 real in ordinary paper illustrated with the national shield,
Santo Domingo, 1865-1909, 2 x 1 cm. © Museo numismático del Banco Central

ICOM AND THE PROTECTION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

The International Council of Museums (ICOM), created in 1946 to represent museums and museum
professionals worldwide, is committed to the promotion and protection of natural and cultural heritage,
present and future, tangible and intangible. With a unique network of over 40,000 members in 138
countries and territories (2018), ICOM is active in a wide range of museum-and heritage-related disciplines.

The protection of heritage in the event of natural disaster or armed conflict is also at the core of
ICOM’s work, thanks to its Disaster Risk Management Committee (DRMC) and through its strong
involvement in the international Blue Shield. ICOM has the ability to mobilise expert networks
in the field of cultural heritage from all over the world thanks to its numerous programmes.
In 2013, ICOM created the first International Observatory on Illicit Traffic in Cultural Goods in order toreinforce its action in fighting illicit traffic.
The Red Lists have been designed as practical tools to curb the illegal trade in cultural objects. ICOM
is grateful for the unwavering commitment of the experts and institutions who generously contributeto the success of the Red Lists.

The Red Lists are available at the following address: http://redlist.icom.museum

With the generous support of:

22, rue de Palestro - 75002 Paris - France
Tel: +33 (0)1 47 34 05 00 - Fax: +33 (0)1 43 06 78 62E-mail: illicit-traffic@icom.museum - Website: http://icom.museum© 2013, ICOM, all rights reserved. – Graphic design: TTT. Cover: Ceramic effigy vessel, island of Hispaniola, Taíno culture (11th - 15th centuries), 40 x 30 x 30 cm. © Fundación García Arévalo, Santo Domingo

ICOM maintains formal relations with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) and has a consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
as an expert in the fight against illicit traffic in cultural goods. ICOM also works in collaboration withorganisations such as INTERPOL and the World Customs Organization (WCO) to carry out some of its
international public service missions.