Stolen bas-relief, removed at TEFAF, will return to Iran
ARTinvestment.RU   27 июля 2018

The image of a warrior adorning the ancient Persepolis, in 1930-х has been stolen and taken out of the country. In the end, bas-relief, which is estimated at $1.2 million, came to the fair TEFAF

yet experts on the search of stolen artifacts in time sounded the alarm. The bas-relief was seized by the police from the pavilion to the London antiquities dealer Rupert Weiss (Rupert Wace) directly in the opening day of the new-йоркской art-ярмарки. It happened at the end of October, and since then, the Iranian government argued in court their right to relief. And won.

the History of existence of the artifact is very entertaining. A series of bas-reliefs with the images of warriors carved on the limestone blocks, was discovered in Persepolis in 1933 by an expedition of the University of Chicago. The event was dated to the reign of the Achaemenids (510-330 BC). The bas-relief was stolen from the excavation site approximately in 1936 and, after an unknown number of hands, was in the collection of a successful canadian entrepreneur Frederick Morgan. He donated a bas-relief of the Quebec national Museum about the years 1950-1951. But from the Museum of bas-relief was stolen again — in 2011. When three years later he was found, the Museum refused it in favor of the insurance company, because of previously received cash compensation. And then the London dealer Rupert Weiss unsuccessfully invested, buying the bas-relief of Persian soldier from the insurance company. Failed because now the artifact on the court need to return to Iran. On the other hand, the dealer agreed to give relief, without appeals — noble decision that clearly will benefit his business reputation.

the Material was prepared by Maria Onuchina, AI

Sources: artnet.com, nytimes.com, artnet.com, artinvestment.ru