Looting Matters

It appears that some items in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo have been damaged during the disturbances on Friday night ("Vandals ravage Egyptian Museum, break mummies", www.almasryalyoum.com January 29, 2011).

The Washington Post posted this just after midnight:
Though looters were stopped at the Egyptian Museum, two mummies were vandalized when would-be looters ripped the mummies' heads off. At least 10 other artifacts were damaged. Young Egyptians stopped the looting, forming a human chain around the museum. Zahi Hawass, head of antiquities at the museum, told the Associated Press he is fearful that the National Democratic Party of Egypt headquarters, which is still on fire, may fall over and damage the museum.The BBC posted this minutes later (with a photograph of the cordon):
Rahim Hamada called the BBC from Cairo: "Civilians are surrounding the museum of Cairo in [Tahrir] Square and protecting it from looting. All the police have left the square, I think, to try an…

In November 1943 the collection of antiquities formed by Max Freiherr von Oppenheim was destroyed during a bombing raid (Stephen Evans, "Berlin's Pergamon Museum exhibits Tell Halaf statues", BBC News January 29, 2011). The antiquities, including material from Tell Halaf, was left in an estimated 27,000 fragments. A nine year project to restore the objects has come to fruiition in an exhibition in Berlin.

Looting Matters: US Extends Agreement With Italy over Antiquities

A discussion of the MOU extension between Italy and the US.

The decision over the extension of the MOU with Italy has been announced ("Extension of Import Restrictions Imposed on Archaeological Material Originating in Italy and Representing the Pre-Classical, Classical, and Imperial Roman Periods", January 19, 2011).

The broad categories are:

I. Stone. A. Sculpture.II. Metal. A. Sculpture. B. Vessels. C. Personal Ornaments. D. Weapons and Armor. E. Inscribed or Decorated Sheet Metal. F. Coins of Italian Types.III. Ceramic. A. Sculpture. B. Vessels [specifically including 'Imported Vessels' specified as Attic and Corinthian]IV. Glass.V. Painting. A. Wall Painting.

The Italy Database Images can be found here.

Fabio Isman has published an interview with Paolo Ferri where Marion True is discussed ("Marion True: macché assoluzione, giudici troppo lenti", Il Giornale dell'Arte gennaio 2011). This is different to the one that appeared in The Art Newspaper ("Clandestine excavation is a crime that is hard to prove", January 2011), and contrasts with the statement by Marion True ("Neither condemned nor vindicated", The Art Newspaper January 2011). Ferri particularly commented on True's comments about the Getty board and their place in making acquisitions ("True affermava che l’intero board era consapevole degli acquisti").

He also reminds us that the case against Hecht continues and thus there was a limit to what can be said without compromising the judicial process ("La Corte non poteva dire di più: sta ancora processando Hecht, non può anticipare il giudizio").

The key bit about the report is that Isman also records the legal decisions. …

BBC Radio 4's Today programme had a brief (but excited) mention of the seizure of a Roman statue near Lake Nemi in Italy. This featured in a review of The Guardian: "Caligula's tomb found after police arrest man trying to smuggle statue", January 18, 2011.
Officers from the archaeological squad of Italy's tax police had a break last week after arresting a man near Lake Nemi, south of Rome, as he loaded part of a 2.5 metre statue into a lorry. ... The police said the statue was shod with a pair of the "caligae" military boots favoured by the emperor ... The statue is estimated to be worth €1m. Its rare Greek marble, throne and god's robes convinced the police it came from the emperor's tomb. Under questioning, the tomb raider led them to the site, where excavations will start today.This is a reminder that there continues to be a demand for freshly surfaced antiquities from Italy.

Fabio Isman's report in Il Giornale dell'Arte has important implications for the International Association of Dealers in Ancient Art (IADAA). It appears that 16 objects on offer by a North American member of the IADAA in late 2010 (and some are still available) could be identified from three major dossiers of photographs derived from raids in Switzerland and Greece.

The IADAA makes its position unambiguous: "As our code of ethics makes clear, we refuse to deal in pieces, which are looted or stolen."

The IADAA's Code of Ethics states: "The members of IADAA undertake not to purchase or sell objects until they have established to the best of their ability that such objects were not stolen from excavations, architectural monuments, public institutions or private property."

Members of the IADAA "adhere to a stringent code of conduct designed to serve not only the interests of their clients but also the integrity of the objects themselves."

So, if th…