"London's reputation as a clearing house for looted antiquities"

Lord Renfrew has now commented on the appearance of recently-surfaced antiquities at Bonhams. In an interview for The Guardian (Dalya Alberge, "Roman sculptures withdrawn from auction amid fears they are stolen", April 27, 2010) Renfrew commented "such sales are maintaining London's reputation as a clearing house for looted antiquities". (See his earlier speech in the House of Lords: "It is scandalous that this practice continues".)

Cambridge researcher Christos Tsirogiannis is interviewed:

"The destruction leaves objects out of context. Even if [an object] is a masterpiece, our duty is to give people history."

Renfrew calls for dealers to reveal the identity of vendors: "That would be a step towards clarifying the problem".

The article also reflects on the role of the Art Loss Register and its place in the identification of "stolen" antiquities.