The Wall Street Journal reports on a number of academic archeologists who are upset that works that seem to have been among the thousands of Polaroid images seized in a 1995 police raid of a noted dealer in illict property’s gallery :

A Roman marble torso sculpted in the second century AD, an Apulian drinking-cup from the fourth century BC and a Greek terracotta figure of a goddess made in the third century BC are to be auctioned on June 10. The Christie’s website gives the provenance of the Greek goddess, estimated at $8,000, as a 1984 London sale. It notes that the Apulian cup, valued at some $35,000, is “the property of an American private collector” and that it was sold in New York in 1994. Of the Roman youth, valued around $30,000, Christie’s notes previous sales after 1992 and says it is now “the property of a Massachusetts private collector.” […] A Christie’s spokeswoman in New York said the auction house plans to go ahead with the sale. “With respect to these particular lots, Christie’s has not been notified of a title claim by any government authority, nor are these lots identified as problematic by the Art Loss Register or Interpol,” she said. “As an added measure, Christie’s has undertaken its own research into this matter and has found no evidence to support the need to withdraw these lots. Unless and until Christie’s receives a title claim, we plan to proceed with the sale of these lots.”

Critics Say Christie’s Should Pull 3 Items From Auction (Wall Street Journal)