Posted on 10/12/2008 7:19:20 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Francesco Rutelli, the former Italian Minister for Culture and Deputy Prime Minister, told the Italian Parliament he had believed that some of the antiquities to be auctioned in London next week had been exported illegally from Italy.
In an "urgent question" to Sandro Bondi, his successor as Culture Minister, he accused the centre-right Berlusconi Government, which took power in May, of failing to take action over the illegal export of archaeological treasures.
Mr Rutelli later told reporters that he was most concerned about an elaborately decorated Apulian 4th-century BC red krater or Greek vase that forms part of the Bonhams sale.
He took the dramatic step of calling for a Rome prosecutor to block the antiquities auction by Bonhams, due to be held on October 15.
In an "urgent question" to Sandro Bondi, his successor as Culture Minister, he demanded that all auctions involving the sale of Italian treasures of "questionable provenance" should be blocked.
He called for checks to be made on the provenance of other items in the sale that he said "in all probability originated in Italy", after discovering that the Apulian vase was owned by Robin Symes, the disgraced British dealer who was jailed for two years in January 2005 for bankruptcy jailed for two years in January 2005 for bankruptcy. Symes was released after seven months.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
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Excellent: go Italy. One thing you can take to the bank: if there is doubt as to the provenance of antiquities originating in Italy, bags I they have been looted or stolen and ought to be returned to Italy.
Same deal with Greece, Egypt, and Mesopotamia.
“bags I they have”
?
> “bags I they have”
(grin!) “Bags I” == Australasia / Britspeak for “I bet”.
Hope that clarifies...
In that case, I don’t agree. The Italians have been getting “suspicion” redefined as “certainty” regarding antiquities they’ve never seen before, and have no idea where they came from or how long they’ve been out of the ground. And until they return all the antiquities looted by their ancestors — such as the Egyptian obelisks all over the city since imperial times — they really need to STFU.
That does help, thanks! :’)
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