Jan. 18 (Bloomberg) -- New York philanthropist and art collector Shelby White agreed to cede 10 antiquities from her private collection to the Italian government, the New York Times reported.

Nine of the 10 Greek and Etruscan artifacts were handed over to the Italian Consulate in New York on Jan. 16, the paper said, citing Francesco Rutelli, Italian culture minister. The 10th item, a fifth-century BCE Greek vessel, will be returned to Italy in 2010, the newspaper said.

The agreement ends 18 months of negotiations over the artifacts, which the Italian government says were looted. It marks the first time Italy has negotiated an agreement to recover items from a private collector, the newspaper said.

In February 2006, Italy and the Metropolitan Museum of Art resolved a three-decade dispute over looted antiquities. The museum agreed to return its prized 2,500-year-old Euphronios krater and 20 other antiquities.

With her late husband, OppenheimerFunds Inc. founder Leon Levy, White donated $20 million to the Met's new Greek and Roman galleries that opened last April. Significant works from the couple's private collection were loaned to the museum. The new sculpture court, as well as galleries of Etruscan and Hellenistic art, were named for the couple.

To contact the reporter on this story: Adam Majendie in Singapore at adammajendie@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: January 17, 2008 22:48 EST