Search Results for: Art Loss Register

Optical Due Diligence: Art Loss Register Claims To Vet Ancient Art. Does it?

UPDATE 8/9/14: The Sunday Times has published another devastating report on the Art Loss Register’s business practices. ALR Founder Julian Radcliffe admits paying thieves to recover stolen art in a dozen cases and is described as a “fence” by senior European … Continue reading

The Sidon Bull’s Head: Court Record Documents a Journey Through the Illicit Antiquities Trade

The journey of an ancient sculpture of a bull’s head from its theft during the Lebanese civil war through the shadowy corners and winding pathways of the international antiquities black market. Continue reading

The End of the Beginning: NGA Returns Kushan Buddha and Two Kapoor Objects

On Monday, the National Gallery of Australia returned three more antiquities to India in light of evidence – much of it first made public here – that they had been stolen from temples or archaeological sites, smuggled out of India … Continue reading

The Kushan Buddhas: Nancy Wiener, Douglas Latchford and New Questions about Ancient Buddhas

In 2005, Canada’s Royal Ontario Museum was offered a rare sculpture of a Seated Buddha carved from red sandstone in the second century. It was from India’s ancient city of Mathura, the second capital of the Kushan empire, and one … Continue reading

UPDATED > Trouble in Toledo: Feds Investigate Stolen Ganesh, Other Objects from Kapoor at Toledo Museum

Let the Lotus Feet of Lord Ganesha, from whom scriptures sprout, confer on us unmixed blessings. Like thunderbolts, let them shatter away hurdles that are heaped like mountains. ─ Prayers to Ganesha UPDATE 10/2/14: The Toledo Museum announced it would … Continue reading

Unprecedented: Australia’s National Gallery Sues Kapoor Over $5 Million Stolen Shiva

UPDATE 2/15: The Hindu has revealed new evidence that the Shiva was stolen — a photograph of the bronze taken in situ some 30 years ago. Tamil Nadu police have confirmed the match, reports A. Srivathsan. Vijay Kumar has demonstrated previously … Continue reading

UPDATED: Documents Suggest More Stolen Idols At National Gallery Of Australia

UPDATE 4/10/14: Indian authorities have asked regional police and the public to help identify the origin of the two Dvarapalas that Kapoor sold to the NGA. Last week we revealed documents suggesting the $5 million bronze Dancing Shiva purchased by the National Gallery … Continue reading

SCOOP: New Evidence Of Stolen Idols at the National Gallery of Australia

UPDATE 11/6: The NGA has released a statement saying there is no “conclusive evidence” the sculpture was stolen. See below. UPDATE 6/12: Since publishing this post we’ve received documents that show the National Gallery of Art purchased the Dancing Shiva … Continue reading

Test Case: Peter Tompa on CPAC, the Supreme Court and the Trade in Ancient Coins

On Monday morning, the Supreme Court of the United States is expected to respond to a petition from the Ancient Coin Collectors Guild challenging federal import restrictions on ancient coins with unclear ownership histories. The ACCG case started in 2009 … Continue reading