Lost Arts of Nepal Vienna Sale

 

Notification by  Lost Arts of Nepal ( @LostArtsofNepal) FAITH STOLEN - Nepalese antiquities on sale today right under our noses at Galerie Zacke Auction, Vienna Austria 10/11th April 2025. Where is the documentation verifying they are not stolen?

GALLERY ZACKE since 1968 - "House of tradition" (sic) for antique Asian art, known for the largest exhibitions and auctions of non-European art in Austria. But how does in get there? By what rigtht is it spold there, instead of being repatriated in the case of items that are illcit (ie have no proper documentation of legal acquisition and export)?

Lots  24 ( From a London dealership, acquired in the local art market.), 26 (The collection of Dr. John Ross Sr., thence by descent to his son and thence by further direct descent), and 28 -31 "from the Collection of Raymond & Marsha Vargas Handley" (28 - Spink & Son, London, 1987; 29 - Spink & Son, London, 1987 (invoice lost); 30 - Spink & Son, London, 1987 (invoice lost). 31 - Hardt & Sons, New York, United States, 15 February 2003)

Raymond G. Handley (1923-2009) partnered with Ray Renault in the 1950s to co-found one of California’s oldest and most successful real estate development firms. They were pioneers in shaping the early landscape of Silicon Valley, developing buildings for major tech innovators such as Intel and Raytheon, laying the groundwork for the region’s transformation into a global technology hub. Raymond Handley was a keen collector of art who traveled extensively, including the most remote parts of Papua New Guinea and Africa. In Mali, where his brother served as the Ambassador of the United States, he drilled more than fifty water wells for Dogon villages. His passion led him to establish Folk Art International/Xanadu Tribal Arts, an ethnographic art business which developed into the Xanadu Gallery in the late 1990s, located in the historic Frank Lloyd Wright building off Union Square, and continued by his widow Marsha Vargas Handley until her retirement in 2015. Having opened her first gallery in the Bay Area in 1973, she is an important figure in the Asian art world in her own right, serving as the president of the International Netsuke Society for over 16 years. Raymond Handley’s first visit to Spink & Son took place in the early 1980s, between Christmas and New Year’s, when much of the staff was away on vacation. During this visit, Raymond was captivated by the gallery's impressive selection of fine works and quickly amassed a collection of over 100 items he intended to purchase. This large number caused some concern for Anthony Gardner, head of Spink’s Southeast Asian Department, who had never dealt with such a sizable transaction. As the total approached 108 items, Anthony suggested Raymond stop there, citing it as an auspicious number. To this day, 108 remains the record for the most works sold in a single day, and it became customary thereafter for the staff to remain at work during the holiday period.