Turkey Seeking Return of Antiquities

The NY Times has a very good article on how Turkey is seeking the return of Antiquities is says were illegally excavated and exported.  The article notes that Turkey, a signor of the widely accepted UNESCO is seeking items that are/should be covered under the agreement.  Turkey is now focused on obtaining 18 objects from the Met's Norbert Schimmel collection.

Legal ownership of Antiquities has long been a difficult topic, and perhaps is even harder to come to fair conclusions when there are claims and disputes.  As appraisers, we must be careful and should be aware of the various legal issues and treaties on international items.

The NY Times reports

In their latest salvo, Turkish officials this summer filed a criminal complaint in the Turkish court system seeking an investigation into what they say was the illegal excavation of 18 objects that are now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Norbert Schimmel collection.

Last year, Turkish officials recalled, Turkey’s director-general of cultural heritage and museums, Murat Suslu, presented Met officials with a stunning ultimatum: prove the provenance of ancient figurines and golden bowls in the collection, or Turkey could halt lending treasures. Turkey says that threat has now gone into effect.

“We know 100 percent that these objects at the Met are from Anatolia,” the Turkish region known for its ancient ruins, Mr. Suslu, an archaeologist, said in an interview. “We only want back what is rightfully ours.”

Turkey’s efforts have spurred an international debate about who owns antiquities after centuries of shifting borders. Museums like the Met, the Getty, the Louvre and the Pergamon in Berlin say their mission to display global art treasures is under siege from Turkey’s tactics.

Source: The NY Times