The J. Paul Getty Trust has agreed to return to Italy a "number of very significant" antiquities, including several masterworks, the Los Angeles Times reports.

According to a joint statement released by the Getty and Italian officials, Italy will lend Roman and Etruscan objects to the Getty that are "of comparable visual beauty" in return for an undisclosed number of objects. A final agreement that "will include mutual collaboration, research, and the exchange of important antiquities" is expected to be concluded this summer, the statement added. Although the statement did not specify how the collaboration would work, the Getty could be of substantial help to the Italians on art conservation and research.

Earlier this year, the Italian government reached a similar deal with New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art that involved the return of one of the Met's best-known antiquities. The Italian government has demanded that the Getty return fifty-two items, and the Italian ministry of culture is having discussions with Boston's Museum of Fine Arts and the Princeton University museum about the return of additional pieces. In addition, Italian authorities say they will be approaching other major American institutions about the return of looted antiquities in the future.

"We are not just arguing over objects, but we are working on a long-term relationship between the Getty and its natural partner, Italy, with respect to antiquities," said Luis Li, an attorney negotiating on behalf of the museum. "That's really what the proposed agreement is about."