During the 1990s a number of antiquities were stolen from museums in Albania (details here). The recovered pieces are:a. Portrait of Livia (BAM inv 9). Stolen from Butrint in 1991; said to have been in Greece and then Switzerland; by 1995 said to be in the possession of Robert Hecht and appeared in From a North American Collection of Ancient Art; allegedly offered to the Glypothek in Munich; portrait returned by dealer in 2000.Some archaeological material is still missing, e.g. the Mercury leaning on a Herm. So it is important for us to understand the routes by which these seven pieces passed into the market. Some appear to have moved through Greece. At least one passed through Switzerland; who handled it? And who consigned the Asklepios to the London market? (Apparently the papers detailing the transaction were passed to authorities in Italy.)
b-d. Three heads: Agrippa (BAM inv. 583); young woman (BAM inv. 50); head from Herculaneum type figure (BAM inv. 584). Stolen from Butrint in 1991; seized at Koropi, Attica (Greece). Heads returned in 2003.
e. A female figure possibly of Artemis. Stolen from Butrint in 1991; seized at Koropi, Attica (Greece); returned in 2008.
f. A fragmentary statue of Apollo (1.2 m) (BAM inv. 4). Stolen from Butrint in 1991; seized at Koropi, Attica (Greece); returned in 2008.
g. Head of Asklepios (BAM inv. 60). Stolen 1991; sold at Christie's in London at an auction on July 6, 1996, lot 430; seized from Massimo Rossi collection in Italy in 2005; returned in 2009. [earlier comment]
Two Greek nationals are reported to have been jailed in 2004 for their part in the business.
See also:
Norman Hammond, "Two heads of Livia are better than one", The Times (London) April 3, 2001.
Oliver Gilkes, "How the Goddess lost her head: the myth and reality of the looting of Butrint", Culture Without Context 10 (2002).
"Greece returns stolen statues to Albania: ministry", Agence France Presse, February 7, 2008.
For more recent coverage:
Besar Likmeta, "Stolen Antiquities Face Difficult Journey Home", June 12, 2009. [Available here]
1 comment:
Being of Greek ancestry I can confirm that the easiest passage from Albania to Europe has always been through Greece historically - because of the geographical border - most Albanians at the borders are fluent in both languages as many have worked and lived in Greece at some point on account of a financial status differential...
So it can be seen that this could be an obvious smuggling channel.
The answer here lies with "rattling" the Greeks involved - with the right coercion I am sure they would "spill the beans" on collaborators in Switzerland and elsewhere..
eftis.blogspot.com
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