Art Market Monitor

Global Coverage ~ Unique Analysis

  • AMMpro
  • AMM Fantasy Collecting Game
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us

Iranian Artifact Seized at TEFAF 

November 1, 2017 by Marion Maneker

It ain’t easy selling antiquities. Just ask Rupert Wace who was surprised by a search warrant and the seizure of a Persian stone relief at TEFAF late last week. According to the New York Times, a clutch of NYPD officers and NY prosecutors appeared at the Friday preview:

To the consternation of several art dealers looking on, the police and prosecutors seized an ancient limestone bas-relief of a Persian soldier with shield and spear, which once adorned a building in the ruins of Persepolis in Iran, according to a search warrant. The relief is worth about $1.2 million and was being offered for sale by Rupert Wace, a well-known dealer in antiquities in London. In an statement, Mr. Wace said he had bought the relief from an insurance company, who had acquired it legally from a museum in Montreal, where it had been displayed since the 1950s. “This work of art has been well known to scholars and has a history that spans almost 70 years,” Mr. Wace said in an email. “We are simply flabbergasted at what has occurred.”

The Times goes on to detail the provenance of the work which had been stolen from a museum before it wound up in the possession of the insurance company. The claims are related to cultural property, not the recent theft.

Ancient Limestone Relief Is Seized at European Art Fair  (The New York Times)

More from Art Market Monitor

  • Should the Art Market Worry About the Pile-Up of $100m Homes? Probably Not.Should the Art Market Worry About the Pile-Up of $100m Homes? Probably Not.
  • Believing in the Real Thing: Old Master Sales
  • ArtList’s 3 Must See Shows: New Alex Katz, Ibrahim El-Salahi & Japanese Ceramics Group ShowsArtList’s 3 Must See Shows: New Alex Katz, Ibrahim El-Salahi & Japanese Ceramics Group Shows
  • Palm Beach Without the MoneyPalm Beach Without the Money
  • The Most Interesting Photographic Image for Sale this Week?The Most Interesting Photographic Image for Sale this Week?
  • Lost Bacon Pope Painting to Star at Christie’sLost Bacon Pope Painting to Star at Christie’s

Filed Under: General

About Marion Maneker

LiveArt

Want to get Art Market Monitor‘s posts sent to you in our email? Sign up below by clicking on the Subscribe button.

  • About Us/ Contact
  • Podcast
  • AMMpro
  • Newsletter
  • FAQ

twitterfacebooksoundcloud
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
California Privacy Rights
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Advertise on Art Market Monitor