Thursday 12 December 2013

Questions about recent Sotheby's and Christie's Antiquities Sales


Basically, it's all in the title: "Sotheby's sells Symes marble matched by Dr. Christos Tsirogiannis in the Schinousa archives for more than $4.6 million today; Sotheby's withdraws The Medici Pan; and Christie's in NY aims to sell Symes Pan tomorrow", Catherine Schofield Sezgin, ARCA blog, 13th December 2013. This highlights the sterling work of Dr. Christos Tsirogiannis in identifying items noted in archives which include potentially dodgy items
[Fabio Isman in] the Italian Artemagazine in "Pezzi di Medici e Symes all’asta: fino a quando?" asks why [...] antiquities from Italy are being offered for sale in New York City after Cambridge's Dr. Christos Tsirogiannis has identified the items to archives collected in police raids.
Indeed, as we all might.

[Unless "we" are metal detectorists who exempt themselves from such considerations, this does not interest them, they only see the posts here about "metal detecting"].



UPDATE 14th Dec 2013
There is now an update on the ARCA blog: 
Catherine Schofield Sezgin, 'Christie's New York Auction of "Antiquities" withdraws "Symes Pan" from sale: Christos Tsirogiannis says that in due course more information will be found about The Medici Pan, the Hermes-Thoth, and the Symes Pan"Hermes-Thoth" marble once passedthrough the hands of Robin Symes', ARCAblog December 14, 2013. See also David Gill 'Medici and Symes material in New York'. 

6 comments:

David Gill said...

For a further comment see here

Unknown said...

WHY WE DONT SEE THE PHOTO ? WHERE IS THE PROOF ?? It is very easy to accuse and post it without proving it...I WANT TO BELEIVE but due diligence should be on both sides. The accusations are strong and should not be judged lightly.

Paul Barford said...

Well, actually Mr (or Ms) Bee, I do not think anyone was asking for your opinion. Neither do we have a photo of you, but I do not see anyone clamouring to see it.

[If you follow the links you will find the photos, you just have to look a bit further than the end of your nose].

P.S. There is no need to SHOUT at me. Thanks.

Unknown said...

Dear Sir,

So obvious of you to use this superior tone...There is no photo of the Sotheby's pan (lot 51) on your link. Your obvious lack of seriousness shows how you accuse anybody without proof like I said. How can you do that ? Do you check your sources before writing ? Unlike you I am looking further than my nose. I hate antiquities thieves but I take them down with solid proofs. Show us the photo of the Pan form the alleged "Medici collection". Or did you mix with the christie's one withdrawn today ?

Paul Barford said...

Well, as I said, if the gentleman writing from Switzerland would like to follow the links, he will find the photo of the object he is looking for.

Although for some reason somebody seems to have removed all the pictures of the Pan (Sotheby's Dec 12 sale, lot 51) with his lascivious smile from the Internet, you can still see it here:
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:HI5Ce1wSXDMJ:www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/lot.51.html/2013/antiquities-n09056+&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=pl&client=firefox-a

I do think Mr Bee Objective, whoever he is, really needs to take the rest of his complaint up with Professor David Gill and Dr Christos Tsirogiannis:
http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-medici-pan.html

as it is quite clear that I am only reporting here what is going on elsewhere in the blogosphere. (It would seem however that Sotheby's were quite worried by the evidence). I'd suggest "Bee" take this up with Professor Gill.

Has "Bee Objective" actually "taken down" any "antiquity thieves" in Switzerland with his "solid proof" one wonders, or is his interest in challenging challengers of this Pan something different? Curious.


Paul Barford said...

Here you are, the polaroid photo is now available, satisfied? No need to thank me.

http://www.artemagazine.it/archeologia/29058/pezzi-gia-di-medici-e-symes-allasta-ma-fino-a-quando/

 
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