Egypt's embassy in London received a limestone relief that had been stolen from Queen Hatshepsut's temple in Luxor, the Ministry of Antiquities said.
The recovered relief [Credit: Egypt Ministry of Antiquities]
Shaaban Abdel Gawad, general supervisor of the ministry's antiquities repatriation department, in a statement said that the ministry repatriated the relief in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the British Museum after proving its possession. The recovery of the relief is "very important" especially since it will help in restoration work currently being carried out by a Polish archaeological mission, he said.
The relief, which is carved in limestone and engraved with hieroglyphic symbols, was stolen from the temple in 1975 and smuggled out of the country, he said. It was put on show in an auction hall in Spain and a British antiquities dealer bought it, the statement said.
Last year, U.S. officials returned dozens of illegally smuggled artifacts to Egypt, including a Graeco-Roman style Egyptian sarcophagus.
The transition from hunter-gatherer to sedentary farming 10,000 years ago occurred in multiple neighbouring but genetically distinct populations according to research by an international team including UCL.
“It had been widely assumed that these first farmers were from a single, genetically homogeneous population. However, we’ve found that there were deep genetic differences in these early farming populations, indicating very distinct ancestries,” said corresponding author Dr Garrett Hellenthal, UCL Genetics.
The study, published today in >Science and funded by Wellcome and Royal Society, examined ancient DNA from some of the world’s first farmers from the Zagros region of Iran and found it to be very different from the genomes of early farmers from the Aegean and Europe. The team identified similarities between the Neolithic farmer’s DNA and that of living people from southern Asia, including from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and Iranian Zoroastrians in particular.
“We know that farming technologies, including various domestic plants and animals, arose across the Fertile Crescent, with no particular centre” added co-author Professor Mark Thomas, UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment.
“But to find that this region was made up of highly genetically distinct farming populations was something of a surprise. We estimated that they separated some 46 to 77,000 years ago, so they would almost certainly have looked different, and spoken different languages. It seems like we should be talking of a federal origin of farming.”
The switch from mobile hunting and gathering to sedentary farming first occurred around 10,000 years ago in south-western Asia and was one of the most important behavioural transitions since humans first evolved in Africa some 200,000 years ago. It led to profound changes in society, including greater population densities, new diseases, poorer health, social inequality, urban living, and ultimately, the rise of ancient civilizations.
Animals and plants were first domesticated across a region stretching north from modern-day Israel, Palestine and Lebanon to Syria and eastern Turkey, then east into, northern Iraq and north-western Iran, and south into Mesopotamia; a region known as the Fertile Crescent.
“Such was the impact of farming on our species that archaeologists have debated for more than 100 years how it originated and how it was spread into neighbouring regions such as Europe, North Africa and southern Asia,” said co-author Professor Stephen Shennan, UCL Institute of Archaeology.
“We’ve shown for the first time that different populations in different parts of the Fertile Crescent were coming up with similar solutions to finding a successful way of life in the new conditions created by the end of the last Ice Age.”
By looking at how ancient and living people share long sections of DNA, the team showed that early farming populations were highly genetically structured, and that some of that structure was preserved as farming, and farmers, spread into neighbouring regions; Europe to the west and southern Asia to the east.
“Early farmers from across Europe, and to some extent modern-day Europeans, can trace their DNA to early farmers living in the Aegean, whereas people living in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and India share considerably more long chunks of DNA with early farmers in Iran. This genetic legacy of early farmers persists, although of course our genetic make-up subsequently has been reshaped by many millennia of other population movements and intermixing of various groups,” concluded Dr Hellenthal.
Even if people completely stopped converting tropical forests into farmland, the impacts of tropical deforestation would continue to be felt for many years to come. That's the conclusion of researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal >Current Biology who have used historical rates and patterns of tropical deforestation around the globe to estimate the resulting carbon emissions and species losses over time.
Modeled annual deforestation rates from 1950 to 2009 in five-year intervals [Credit: Rosa et al./Current Biology 2016]
The findings highlight the importance of accounting for the time lag between deforestation and its environmental impacts in meeting conservation goals.
"We show that even if deforestation had completely halted in 2010, time lags ensured there would still be a carbon emissions debt equivalent to five to ten years of global deforestation and an extinction debt of more than 140 bird, mammal, and amphibian forest-specific species, which, if paid, would increase the number of 20th century extinctions in these groups by 120 percent," says Isabel Rosa (@isamdr86) of the Imperial College of London. "Given the magnitude of these debts, commitments to reduce emissions and biodiversity loss are unlikely to be realized without specific actions that directly address this damaging environmental legacy."
It takes time after trees are cut down before the wood and other plant matter left at the site fully decay, releasing carbon into the atmosphere. The resulting loss of habitat also leads to species losses, but those effects also tend to occur gradually.
In the new study, Rosa and her colleagues used a spatially explicit land cover change model to reconstruct the annual rates and spatial patterns of tropical deforestation from 1950 to 2009 in the Amazon, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia. Using those patterns, they estimated the resulting gross vegetation carbon emissions and species losses.
The findings show that current emissions and species extinctions are mostly tied to past actions. As a result, the researchers explain, changes in annual deforestation rates will initially have a smaller than expected effect on annual carbon emissions. For example, they write, a 30 percent reduction in deforestation rates as seen in the Brazilian Amazon between 2005 and 2010 only cut carbon emissions over the same time period by 10 percent.
The researchers also show that modern deforestation has left us with an estimated extinction debt of 144 vertebrate species found only in tropical forests. That's 20 percent more than the number of extinctions known to have occurred in vertebrate groups in more than a century.
"I expected an increase in both carbon emissions and species extinctions debts, but the magnitude of these debts was surprising," Rosa says.
The findings show that reaching national and global emissions targets will be even more challenging than anticipated.
"We need to do more if we want to avoid paying these debts, thus preventing further loss of species and carbon emissions," Rosa said. "We need to preserve existing habitats, but also restore forests that have been degraded. Allowing the forest to regrow on areas that have been deforested helps by creating 'new' suitable areas for species to survive in while allowing some of this excess carbon to be stored back in the new trees rather than emitted into the atmosphere."
Rosa says she'll continue to pursue the use of their models to support better policy and management decisions.
A limestone relief dating back to the New Kingdom period, between the 16th and 11th centuries BC, was recovered Sunday from an auction hall in London after two weeks of negotiations.
Relief of Seti I [Credit: Ahram Online]
Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh Eldamaty told Ahram Online that the ministry was informed about the relief by the curator at the British Museum, Marcel Marée.
Marée sent a photograph of the piece to the ministry asking for its authenticity, as the piece was put on display in an auction hall in London.
Eldamaty assigned an archeological committee to inspect the relief. The committee later confirmed its authenticity.
A report was then filed at Egypt’s Tourism and Antiquities police and a similar one was sent to Interpol in order to stop the sale of the relief.
Ali Ahmed, Director of the Recuperation Antiquities Department, explained that the relief was then confiscated by the British police and is due to come home next week.
He explained that the relief was stolen due to illegal excavations. The relief is engraved with a scene depicting the 19th dynasty King Seti I before goddess Hathor and god Web Wawat. It also bears hieroglyphic text and the names of several ancient Egyptian deities of Assiut governorate in Upper Egypt.
“It is a very important relief as it depicts a not yet discovered temple of king Seti I in Assiut,” Ahmed pointed out.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Egypt's embassy in London, the Ministry of Antiquities succeeded to recover a piece of a column that was stolen and illegally smuggled out of the country many years ago.
The recovered piece [Credit: Ahram Online]
Ali Ahmed, head of the Antiquities Repatriation Department, told Ahram Online that the returned piece is carved of sandstone and engraved with a scene depicting the god Amun Re. It was a part of a column found at Tuthmosis hall at Karnak Temple on Luxor's east bank.
The piece was in the gallery of Karnak that was subjected to looting in the aftermath of January 2011 revolution.
The piece is registered in the Ministry of Antiquities official documents and dates back to the 18th dynasty. It is 36cm wide and 29cm tall.
Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh Eldamaty explained that the piece was in the possession in a British citizen who bought it from the market without knowing that it was a stolen piece. Upon his knowledge, the British citizen agreed to return the piece back to Egypt.
The piece is to be sent to the restoration lab of the Egyptian museum for inspection and restoration before returning it to its original position in Karnak.
Beyond Caravaggio is the first major exhibition in the UK to explore the work of Caravaggio and his influence on the art of his contemporaries and followers.
'Beyond Caravaggio' at The National Gallery, London (12 October 2016 – 15 January 2017)
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610) is one of the most revolutionary figures in art. His strikingly original, emotionally charged paintings, with their intense naturalism, dramatic lighting and powerful storytelling, had a lasting impact on European art and the reverberations echo down to our own time.
“The painters then in Rome were so taken by the novelty, and the younger ones especially flocked to him and praised him alone as the only true imitator of nature, looking upon his works as miracles, they vied with each other in following him.” - Giovan Pietro Bellori, 1672
Caravaggio did not have pupils or travel extensively, and he died at the relatively young age of 39, and yet his influence was widespread and astonishingly diverse. From 1600, artists from across Europe flocked to Rome to see his work, and many went on to imitate his naturalism and dramatic lighting effects – these included artists as talented and varied as Orazio Gentileschi, Valentin de Boulogne, Jusepe de Ribera and Gerrit van Honthorst. Paintings by Caravaggio and his followers were highly sought after in the decades following his death, but fell out of favour by the middle of the 17th century.
The show, which travels to the National Gallery of Ireland (Dublin) and the Scottish National Gallery (Edinburgh) in 2017, offers a unique opportunity to discover a number of hidden art treasures from around the British Isles. The majority of the 49 paintings in the exhibition come from museums, stately homes, castles, churches and private collections across Great Britain and Ireland. These paintings, many of which will be unfamiliar to visitors, will demonstrate how Caravaggio’s art came to inspire a whole generation of painters.
'Beyond Caravaggio' begins by exploring Caravaggio’s early years in Rome, where he produced works depicting youths, musicians, cardsharps and fortune tellers. These paintings were considered highly original on account of their everyday subject matter and naturalistic lighting. The National Gallery’s own Boy Bitten by a Lizard (1594–5) will hang alongside works including Cecco del Caravaggio’s 'A Musician' (about 1615, Apsley House), Bartolomeo Manfredi’s 'Fortune Teller' (about 1615–20, Detroit Institute of Arts) and a masterpiece by French Carvaggesque painter, Georges de la Tour, The Cheat with the Ace of Clubs (1630–34) from the Kimbell Art Museum in Dallas.
The unveiling of Caravaggio’s first public commission in 1600 caused a sensation and quickly led to numerous commissions from distinguished patrons, among them Ciriaco Mattei for whom Caravaggio painted The Supper at Emmaus (1601, The National Gallery, London) and the recently rediscovered 'The Taking of Christ' (1602, on indefinite loan to the National Gallery of Ireland from the Jesuit Community, Leeson St, Dublin). These two paintings will be reunited with other Caravaggesque works formerly in the Mattei collection: Giovanni Serodine’s 'Tribute Money' (Scottish National Gallery) and Antiveduto Gramatica’s 'Christ among the Doctors' (about 1613, Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh (on long-term loan from the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh, from St Bride’s, Cowdenbeath).
Caravaggio’s practice of painting from life and his use of chiaroscuro (strongly contrasted lighting effects) were quickly emulated, but artists did not simply replicate his style; taking Caravaggio’s works as their starting point, they responded to different aspects of his art and developed their own individual approaches. Giovanni Baglione’s 'Ecstasy of Saint Francis' (1601, The Art Institute of Chicago) is the first truly Caravaggesque painting by another artist; Orazio Gentileschi, who was a friend of Caravaggio’s, is represented by two very different works, whilst his immensely talented daughter, Artemisia, is present in the exhibition with 'Susannah and the Elders' (1622, The Burghley House Collection). 'Christ displaying his Wounds' (about 1625-35, Perth Museum and Art Gallery) by Giovanni Antonio Galli (called Lo Spadarino) is one of the most striking and memorable paintings in the show.
Caravaggio travelled twice to Naples – both times whilst on the run (the first after committing murder). The Kingdom of Naples was then part of the Spanish Empire and home to many Spanish artists, like Jusepe de Ribera who is represented by three works, (notably 'The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew', 1634, National Gallery of Art, Washington). Neapolitan artists also frequently travelled to Rome where they had the opportunity to see Caravaggio’s earlier works: this was the case with Mattia Preti, whose 'Draughts Players' (about 1635, Ashmolean Museum of Art, Oxford) will be on display.
Caravaggio’s greatest legacy was the enduring power of his storytelling. He injected new life into biblical stories, often blurring the lines between sacred and profane subjects, such as in 'Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness' (1603–4, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City). This will be shown alongside masterpieces by his followers, such as Nicolas Régnier’s 'Saint Sebastian tended by the Holy Irene and her Servant' (about 1626–30, Ferens Art Gallery, Hull - generously lent during Hull’s UK 2017 City of Culture celebrations) and Gerrit van Honthorst’s 'Christ before the High Priest' (about 1617, The National Gallery, London).
Seduced by the power of Caravaggio’s paintings, artists continued to emulate him well after his death, but by the middle of the 17th century Caravaggio’s naturalistic approach had been rejected in favour of a more classicising painting tradition. It would take almost three hundred years for Caravaggio’s reputation to be restored and for his artistic accomplishments to be fully recognised. Today he is rightly admired once again for his unforgettable imagery, inventiveness and astonishing modernity.
'Beyond Caravaggio' curator Letizia Treves says: “The National Gallery is fortunate enough to have three paintings by Caravaggio, each from a different phase of his career, but we are not normally able to show these works in context in our galleries. The inspiration for this exhibition came from wanting to display these paintings alongside others by Caravaggio’s followers, and to demonstrate the extraordinary breadth and range of his influence on a whole generation of painters.”
Director of the National Gallery, Dr Gabriele Finaldi, says: “Four centuries on, Caravaggio’s art still retains the power to inspire, awe and surprise. The exhibition shows how his revolutionary paintings, which were praised and damned in equal measure by his contemporaries, had a profound impact on dozens of artists from all over Europe, giving rise to a truly international phenomenon. Visitors will be able to see many works that will be new to them.”
Since 2008, the National Gallery and Credit Suisse have been working together in a unique partnership, which provides a vital funding platform for the Gallery’s exhibitions and educational programmes. David Mathers, CEO of Credit Suisse International, said: “We are delighted to be sponsoring the first major exhibition exploring the influence Caravaggio had on his contemporaries and followers. This exhibition is particularly special because it brings together so many rarely exhibited paintings that are normally housed in museums, stately homes, castles and private collections within the UK. It will give visitors a unique opportunity to enjoy art treasures that have been gathered together from across the length and breadth of the country as well as to experience the lasting influence of an extraordinary artist who had a major impact on European art.”
'Beyond Caravaggio' at The National Gallery, London (12 October 2016 – 15 January 2017); The National Gallery of Ireland (11 February – 14 May 2017); The Royal Scottish Academy (17 June – 24 September 2017).
Palmyra may just have fallen yet again to the Islamic State group, but a new "immersive" 3D show in Paris lets you walk through the Syrian city's classical colonnades as they were before the jihadists blew them to bits.
The "Eternal Sites" exhibition uses high-definition images often shot by drones to allow the public to visit four of the most threatened heritage sites in the world in war-torn Syria and Iraq.
The eighth-century Umayyad Mosque in Damascus—regarded by many as the fourth holiest place in Islam—and the Krak des Chevaliers Crusader castle near the ravaged city of Homs have also been virtually recreated under the dome of the >Grand Palais in Paris.
The show, which has been organised with the nearby Louvre museum, is part of a global push to digitalise spectacular archaeological sites that are at risk.
The remains of the ancient Iraqi city of Khorsabad, which dates from the 7th century BC, has also been recreated using images captured by French company Iconem.
Like the other three sites, the 3D images are matched with real artefacts from the city from the Louvre's collections.
The museum's director Jean-Luc Martinez, who curated the show, said that they wanted to "show sites that are no longer accessible and the beauty of their art."
Palmyra fell for a second time to the jihadists at the weekend despite heavy Russian bombing to prevent the extremists entering the city.
Temples razed
Islamic State fighters ravaged the Roman-era ruins during the 10 months it held the ancient oasis city from May 2015 to March 2016, systematically blowing up temples and columns in attacks that provoked worldwide outrage.
Photogrammetric technology developed by Iconem has also been used to record the Roman theatre in the Syrian coastal city of Jableh and the Phoenician site in the ancient port of Ugarit, where evidence of the world's oldest alphabet was found.
Its technicians have also been working alongside 15 specialists from the Syrian Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM) to digitalise some of the country's major museum collections.
Hundreds of important heritage sites have been sacked or destroyed during the five-year conflict, with the destruction of the first-century temples of Bel and Baalshamin in Palmyra making most headlines.
IS has made a point of razing ancient shrines and statues it considers as idolatry and is also suspected of involvement in the illegal sale of antiquities.
Work on the "Syrian Heritage" database, the biggest 3D record of the country's monuments and treasures, began last December and includes a large number of Ottoman-era buildings in Damascus as well as its 11th-century citadel, which looms over the city.
The head of DGAM, Maamoun Abdulkarim, said the operation was essential to "avoid an irreplaceable loss to humanity" given "the dramatic situation in our country".
The drive, carried out with the help of the French grande ecole ENS and the research institute INRIA, is one of a number trying to catalogue sites in danger of falling into the line of fire.
The Institute for Digital Archaeology, created by Oxford and Harvard universities and Dubai's Museum of the Future, is also compiling a record of many vulnerable sites in Syria and neighbouring Iraq.
It has handed out 5,000 low-cost 3D cameras to archaeologists and NGOs with the hope of gathering a million images of threatened sites.
A two-thirds scale replica of Palmyra's destroyed triumphal arch was unveiled in New York's Times Square and London's Trafalgar Square in April before being displayed in Dubai.
To participate in this encounter, download your >invitation here (website only in French)
Author: Antoine Froidefond | Source: AFP [December 13, 2016]
Throughout the Renaissance, the demand for antiques among the aristocracy burgeoned, with the trend soaring by the late 17th century as members of the upper classes began scouring Europe in search of bronzes, sculptures, prints, lamps and vases. With disposable income then rising among the aspiring middle classes in the latter part of the 19th century, the bourgeoisie took to investing in their homes and in the finer things as well. As antiques went mainstream, the market boomed in the hubs of London and Paris.
The antiques market may be shrinking at a concerning rate but a new desire for the prehistoric is having its own revival [Credit: European CEO]
However, despite this generally rising appetite, antiques have a tendency to go in and out of fashion, as evidenced by the lulls in between the booms of the 1950s and 1980s. At present, the market is experiencing yet another lull; new tastes and values have sent demand and prices for antiques crashing, leaving armoires, bejewelled knick-knacks and Regency dining chairs unwanted and unsold, and causing many industry players to close down or change course entirely. Yet, in the midst of all the doom and gloom for antiques aficionados, there is some cause for optimism in a few niche areas, especially when it comes to fossils and minerals.
Out with the old
With so many more people living in smaller abodes these days – urban dwellers in particular – there is very little space for antique desks and looming tapestries. Nor, in fact, do such items match contemporary tastes, as interior design trends have changed considerably over the past decade or two. Sleek and modern pieces, airy spaces and overall functionality are the style du jour; cluttered rooms and bulky furniture seem to have little place in 21st century life.
“In general, young people have lost interest, and it is mostly older people who are buying – and obviously this area of the population is one that declines”, said Errol Fuller, a curator at Summers Place Auctions, and a leading expert on fossils and extinct species. “Not all areas of antique collecting are in retreat; it is the more drab brown furniture and traditional items that young people have little interest in. They look old-hat and boring.”
Given the niche knowledge and training required to even begin delving into the subject, Baby Boomers and Millennials are largely uninterested in antiques. Adding further to this growing indifference is the reputation antiques have for popularity among the older generations – a status consolidated by television programmes, such as the US and UK versions of Antiques Roadshow, that depict the field as a hobby for pensioners. The downsizing of former antiques hubs, such as London’s Fulham Road and New York’s Kentshire Gardens, reflects this shift further still, indicating the market in general has indeed reached a precarious state.
In with the even older
Over the past year or so, one big trend that is offering hope to those in the trade is the growing popularity of fossils and minerals.
“Decorative items, or things with intrinsic interest, still have appeal, and fossils and minerals have much of this quality. As do antique stuffed animals and birds. And it is these kind of things that are appealing to the young”, Fuller said. “The general public is becoming increasingly interested in the natural world – perhaps because we realise that much of it is vanishing at an alarming rate. We are becoming more conscious of anything to do with nature and to call a piece of natural history your own and to look after it for a few more years and save it for generations to come, is quite special.”
This interest in the natural can be seen across numerous sectors and industries: food, make-up and alternative therapies, to name but a few. It would seem, as these trends indicate, that people are done with the artificial and are tired of fakery; they yearn for something with authenticity. Items such as fossils and minerals offer a window into the natural world within one’s own home.
“Some are incredibly rare as well. But I think the main point is that most people are in sheer awe when they look at something that was created millions of years ago and which is still appealing to us”, said Fuller. “To imagine that this fossilised dinosaur or crab used to live on this planet such a long time ago, and is now one of the prized possessions in your collection is quite mind-blowing. Antiques and the amazing craftsmanship used to create them will always attract us, but I think it is the fact that fossils are not man-made that makes us look at them in wonder.”
Crucial to this trend is the fact that fossils and minerals complement almost any type of interior design. They offer contrast to a modern room with soft furnishings, yet not in the garish way that a cumbersome 17th century dining table might. Given the variety of sizes, colours and types available, there is something for everyone and every budget. “Fossils are also still reasonably priced, so are more accessible to the general public and not restricted to those with millions in their bank accounts”, Fuller said.
Their backgrounds make talking points like no other; it’s impossible not to be interested in their age, formation and aesthetic value.
“They are not man-made and, in terms of antiquity, they are much older. And, of course, they almost always have a story”, Fuller said. “People tend to buy antiques because they are interested in their history and they look great in their homes. Fossils and minerals tick all those boxes, but as our homes are getting more contemporary, fossils actually fit in better. They look better in a minimalist home than most antiques, while still being quirky enough to be a real focal point.”
When asked if he sees this trend continuing in the coming years, Fuller’s response was clear: “Absolutely, and especially because it is an area in which young people are becoming particularly interested, for all the above reasons. Summers Place Auctions established specific natural history sales with our first Evolution sale in 2013, but we have since gone from one specialist auction a year to including natural history items in all our sales – four in total. There is always a huge interest, but our last sale, which included the natural history collection of the Emmen Zoo, was the best yet – every single lot sold. We offered items at prices as low as £30, up to over £100,000.”
Cyclical nature
As shown throughout history, the trend for antiques in the home comes in waves. Wider phenomena, it would seem, have a large role to play; something may occur in popular culture that can ignite a craze, and a shift within an economy can spur a new trend. Take the hit show Mad Men; watched by millions and considered by many to be one of the greatest dramas of all time, the programme, which depicted life in a New York advertising agency in the 1960s, had a direct impact on the antique market. As the show’s popularity grew, so did that of sleek mid-century furniture, with sales of pieces by Charles and Ray Eames, and Jean-Michel Frank soaring during the show’s run. However, sales of such items have begun to slow once more since the show ended in 2015, demonstrating the fickle nature of tastes and trends when it comes to interior design, popular culture and what’s ‘in’.
The growing demand for Chinese antiquities offers another important lesson for the antiques world. Given the exponential growth in the Chinese economy over the past three decades, a huge social shift has taken place in the country, with a sizeable middle class now present for the first time in the country’s history. This expansion and growth in disposable income has allowed considerably more people in China to own their own homes and, consequently, to invest in them and in objects of aesthetic value. Interestingly, this shift has taken place at the same time as a significant cultural transition within the country, whereby symbols of the past, which were once neglected and even rejected, have regained their prominence. Until recently, all reminders of the China’s imperial past were overlooked by the ruling regime and, as a result, the public. However, a renewed zeal for Chinese history has seen citizens reach out for objects of cultural significance. This trend has led Chinese buyers to scour the globe in search of rare pieces.
The western trend for fossils and minerals may be in line with contemporary tastes, yet this too is likely to pass at some point – it may take several years, but it will pass. Evidently, the appetite for antiques, and for the various individual categories themselves, comes and goes. They are a reflection of society, the state of the economy, and of what was valued at any one time. At present, we are at a stage where the natural is lovingly embraced, which is clearly reflected in what we eat and how we style our homes. But the future may look very different. Perhaps period decor will come back into fashion, perhaps the dining room will have a revival, and maybe even large brown furniture will have its day once more.
Ultimately, the antiques market has a life of its own. It has its own ebb and flow, and is certainly an interesting reflection of society. Although the antique market is shrinking in general, all is not lost for those invested in it; who knows what we’ll once again value in the future?
Author: Elizabeth Matsangou | Source: European CEO [July 19, 2016]
An ancient Cypriot clay ring-vase (kernos - ceremonial vessel), dated to the Protogeometric period (1050-900 BC), has been repatriated to Cyprus from the United Kingdom. The vessel was identified by the Department of Antiquities at a London-based antiquities dealer’s shop, as a result of the Department's routine online investigations.
The ring vessel was part of Mr. Christakis Hadjiprodromou’s registered private collection that was kept in his house in Ammochostos (Famagusta) prior to the Turkish invasion in 1974 [Credit: Dept. of Antiquities, Cyprus]
Following a request by the Department of Antiquities and the Cyprus Police, the shop handed over the vessel to the London Metropolitan Police, which in turn, handed it over to the High Commission of the Republic of Cyprus in London, in October 2016. A Conservator of the Department of Antiquities supervised the packing of the antiquity in London and escorted it to Cyprus on 16 November 2016.
A conservator of the Department of Antiquities supervised the packing of the antiquity in London and escorted it to Cyprus on 16 November 2016 [Credit: Dept. of Antiquities, Cyprus]
The vessel was part of Mr Christakis Hadjiprodromou’s registered private collection that was kept in his house in Ammochostos (Famagusta) prior to the Turkish invasion in 1974. As a result of the invasion, Mr Hadjiprodromou’s residence was pillaged, and his collection was looted, its objects scattered around the world.
It is noted that another antiquity (a clay horse-and-rider of the Cypro-Archaic period, approx. 700 BC), from the same collection, was repatriated from London in July 2016.
Source: Department of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus [November 24, 2016]
Police have arrested two curators of a new Cairo museum for allegedly stealing ancient artefacts and replacing them with replicas, the antiquities ministry said on Wednesday.
An Egyptian soldier walks between replica of pharaonic statues placed at the site of Egypt's new Museum [Credit: AFP]
Looting of the country's cultural heritage has increased since the popular uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and during the years of political turmoil that followed.
The huge National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation was created in collaboration with UNESCO and has yet to open to the public.
"Two curators were arrested while replacing a pharaonic statue of (fourth dynasty) King Menkaure, discovered in Luxor's Karnak temple, and an ancient Islamic lantern with fake ones," Antiquities Minister Mamdouh al-Damati said in a statement.
The arrests came following a police investigation into ancient Islamic artefacts being stolen from the museum's storage area and later being put up for auction in London.
A ministry committee will make an inventory of the "priceless" collection that includes artefacts from prehistoric times to the present day, the statement added.
The first Chinese firearm with an imperial reign mark ever to be offered at auction sold for 1.985 million pounds (US$2.5 million), the auction house >Sotheby's London announced in a statement on Wednesday.
The musket bears not only the imperial reign mark on top of the barrel, but in addition, incised on the breech of the barrel, are four Chinese characters which denote the gun’s peerless ranking – the exceptional grading te deng di yi, ‘Supreme Grade, Number One’ [Credit: Sotheby's]
The gun -- a brilliantly designed and exquisitely crafted musket, produced in imperial workshops -- was created for the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dynasty, arguably the greatest collector and patron of the arts in Chinese history.
Estimated at 1 million to 1.5 million pounds (1.33 million to 1.99 million dollars), the firearm ignited a 10-minute bidding battle before finally selling to an Asian private collector.
"This gun ranks as one of the most significant Chinese treasures ever to come to auction. Today's result will be remembered alongside landmark sales of other extraordinary objects that epitomize the pinnacle of imperial craftsmanship during the Qing dynasty," said Robert Bradlow, senior director of Chinese Works of Art, Sotheby's London in a statement to Xinhua.
"Over the last 10 years we've seen the market for historical Chinese works of art go from strength to strength, with collectors drawn from across the globe and exceptional prices achieved whether the sale is staged in London, Hong Kong or New York," he added.
Supreme Number One imperial musket on its original tripod [Credit: Sotheby's]
The musket bears not only the imperial reign mark on top of its barrel, but in addition, incised on the breech of the barrel are four Chinese characters which denote the gun's peerless ranking -- "Supreme Grade, Number One." This exceptional grading makes it unique amongst the known extant guns from imperial workshops, and asserts its status as one of the most important firearms produced for Emperor Qianlong.
According to Sotheby's London, the advent of Western firearm technology sparked the production of muskets in imperial workshops, and this modern mode of weaponry had unquestionable advantages over the traditional bow and arrow for hunting.
Using only the most luxurious materials, imperial muskets were created in very small numbers for Emperor Qianlong. While the Emperor is unlikely ever to have held a gun in battle, he would regularly hunt with a musket.
The auction house said the Supreme Number One is closely related to six celebrated, named imperial Qianlong muskets in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, which appear to correspond with seven muskets listed in the Qing work, Collected Statutes of the Qing Dynasty with Illustrations. These guns were probably graded in the same way as the Supreme Number One, but with lower grade and/or number ("Supreme Grade, Number Two", "Top Grade, Number 2").
Revered as one of the most powerful "Sons of Heaven," Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) was the longest-lived and de-facto longest-reigning emperor in Chinese history (1736-1795).
The 5th of October 2015 is the centenary of the start of the First World War’s Salonika Campaign, when a large Allied army arrived at the port of Thessaloniki (Salonika) in northern Greece.
Finds from the warrior's grave on display in the British Museum [Credit: British Museum]
The video below introduces both the Salonika Campaign and the British Salonika Force archaeological collection at the British Museum. The collection was formed as a result of trench digging and other military activity in Macedonia. The initial offensive in autumn 1915 failed and so British and French forces dug themselves into the rich archaeological landscape around Thessaloniki.
Various archaeological finds were gathered by both the British and French armies in temporary museums in Thessaloniki and after the end of the war they were despatched, apparently with the agreement of the Greek government, to London and Paris. Significant finds, such as the warrior’s grave on display in the British Museum, are described as well as the important personalities involved in the formation of the collection.
Archaeologists such as Professor Ernest Gardner, who had studied in Greece before the First World War, served in the army in intelligence roles but also found time to pursue their archaeological interests.
Egypt's antiquities minister Mamdouh Eldamaty launched on Saturday a fund raising campaign to re-buy the 4500-year-old ancient Egyptian statue of Sekhemka, which was sold by a UK museum.
The statue of Sekhemka, a royal chief, judge and administrator, shows him reading a scroll and would have been placed in his tomb [Credit: Christies]
"I am calling all Egyptians around the world to help Egypt to preserve its ancient Egyptian heritage and to collect the required fund to buy the Sekhemka statue," Eldamaty told reporters at the Ministry of Antiquities premises in Zamalek.
He also announced that the ministry has stopped all archeological cooperation and relations with the Northampton Museum that sold the statue last year to make up for its lack of funds.
The statue dates to the 5th dynasty and depicts Sekhemka who was a scribe and court official, with his wife Sitmerit.
The controversy over the Sekhemka statue began in July 2014 when Northampton Museum put the statue on sale in an attempt to raise the funds of the museum's budget.
The statue of Sekhemka was sold to an anonymous buyer at Christie's in London for £15,76 million during an auction in July 2014 but a temporary export ban was later imposed.
Northampton Borough Council sold the Sekhemka limestone statue for nearly £16m at auction to help fund an extension to the town's museum [Credit: AFP]
The sale of the statue by Northampton Council was opposed by the Arts Council, the Museums Association, the Art Fund, and the International Council of Museums, as well as locals in Northampton.
This export ban was meant to expire on 29 July and British and Egyptian campaigners have asked the prime minister to intervene "urgently".
The UK department for culture took the unprecedented step of extending a deadline to 29 August over the export of the Egyptian sculpture of Sekhemka. This is the first time that such a step has been has been taken since the art export regulations were introduced in 1952.
The decision was made after it was determined that the sale of the 4,000-year-old Egyptian statue to a private collector, by the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery and Abington Park Museum, had breached Arts Council England's (ACE) accredited standards for how museums manage their collections.
ACE subsequently removed Northampton Museum from their accreditation scheme with immediate effect. It will now be excluded from future participation until August 2019 and are no longer eligible for Arts Council grants.
On Saturday, Eldamaty announced that the Department of Culture declared a second deferral period until March 2016 in an attempt to give an opportunity to British businessmen to collect the money to match the price of the statue.
Eldamaty called on Egyptian businessmen to collect the required money in order to return it back to Egypt.
"If British businessmen find the matching money, the statue is to be kept in another museum in Britain," he said.
