New York auction house freezes sale of looted antiquity, German repatriates stolen treasure

New York auction house freezes sale of looted antiquity, German repatriates stolen treasure

Christie’s auction house in New York has halted the sale of four ancient Greek vases after it was found to be looted by an antiquities trafficker.

The vases, once part of the “Zimmermann

Collection,” were valued at $2,425,248 and it featured in an April auction catalogue.

Dr. Christos Tsirogiannis, an archaeologist at the University of Cambridge, uncovered evidence linking the vases to Gianfranco Becchina, who was convicted in 2011 for smuggling antiquities. The damning find prompted Christie’s to withdraw the item from its April 8 auction catalogu,, including an Attic cup from around 570-560 BC.

Thefreeze on the sale of the prized items came as Germany returned a looted treasure to Greece.

The artefact, a trefoil-shaped wine bottle dating back to 620-600 BC, was discovered during World War II and had been in the possession of the August Kestner Museum in Hanover since 1986.

Culture Minister Lina Mendoni applauded the return as a significant step towards rectifying the damage done to Greece’s cultural heritage during the German occupation from 1941 to 1944. Ms. Mendoni also highlighted ongoing efforts by the Greek state to repatriate antiquities taken by occupying forces.