Protestors from an organisation calling itself Egyptian House gather outside Christie's this evening to protest the sale of an Egyptian head with features of King Tutankhamun
Kabir Jhala
Christies has sold an Ancient Egyptian brown quartzite head of Tutankhamen as the God Amen for £4.7m (with fees) despite Egypts calls for its repatriation and a protest outside the auction house this evening, demanding its return.
The head, which was estimated to make in excess of £4m, is over 3,000 years old and is being sold by the German Resandro Collection of Egyptian art, of which Christies sold a portion in 2016 for over £3m.
According to Christies, the head was bought by the Resandro Collection from Heinz Herzer, a Munich-based dealer in 1985, and before that had been bought by the Austrian dealer Joseph Messina in around 1973-74 from Prinz Wilhelm von Thurn und Taxis. He reputedly had it in his collection by the 1960s—before Egypt banned the export of such artefacts—but that part of the provenance is being challenged.
Articles started to appear in Egypts press in early June protesting against the planned sale, with Egyptian authorities calling for the head's return as they claim it had been looted from the Temple of Karnak, Luxor. Egypts Minister of Antiquities, Khaled Al Anani, initially said Egypt would stop the sale if it could be prove that it had been stolen, before saying (when proof was not forthcoming) that it should be returned on moral grounds. Zahi Hawass, an archaeologist and former Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Affairs, also says it should be returned on moral grounds.
Around 15 protestors from a “community-based organisation” called Egyptian House gathered outside Christies this evening as the sale took place, chanting: “Egyptian history is not for sale. Stop trading illegal antiquities. Unesco please save our heritage.” One volunteer named Mustafa tells The Art Newspaper: “The primary reason we are protesting is because this is a private sale. I dont mind seeing artefacts from Egypt in other museums. I dont even mind most Egyptian artefacts being in British museums as long as they are able to be viewed by everyone." But, he says, selling the work from private collection to private collection "is greedy and is very wrong”. Another volunteer, Magda Sakr, says she is protesting against “the sale of our cultural inheritance. To fight against the sale of one of our most popular and treasured pieces history…Egypt would never willingly sell our history.”
The Egyptian Head with Features of Tutankhamen sold for £4.7m
Courtesy of Christie's
Christies has adamantly defended its right to sell the work. “While ancient objects by their nature cannot be traced over millennia, Christies has clearly carried out extensive due diligence verifying the provenance and legal title of this object,” a spokeswoman says in a statement. “We have established all the required information covering recent ownership and gone beyond what is required to assure legal title. The object is not, and has not been, the subject of an investigation, nor has it been previously flagged as an object of concern, despite being well known and exhibited publicly. We recognise historic objects can give rise to complex discussions about the past; our role today is to continue to provide a transparent, legitimate marketplace upholding the highest standards for the transfer of objects from one generation of collectors to the next. Christies would not and do not sell any work where there isntRead More – Source
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