robbery at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory
This was sent to us at the THC regarding a robbery at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory. Perhaps other museums should be on the look out for these stolen items.
Dear friends- Laura Nightengale of Texas Archeological Research Laboratory (TARL) at the University of Texas here in Austin called me this morning and told me that there was a break- in and robbery at TARL just prior to July 28. The break-in was discovered as preparations were made for the tour by stewards during the TASN meeting on that date. The news is just now coming out because University officials did not want the loss publicized, apparently feeling that concealing the embarrassment of the break-in was more important than recovery of the artifacts (this is my speculation, and not Laura's report or opinion). This was in opposition to the desires of TARL staffers and law enforcement officials, who felt that early publicity would greatly enhance the chance of recovery. So at this late date I must tell you that the vessel collection at TARL was hit, and it appears after an exhaustive inventory that 24 perfect or nearly perfect vessels were taken, all but 4 or 5 of them being Caddo pots, including some of the most famous and beautiful examples known. Security has been greatly improved at TARL since the incident, but that does not mitigate the loss of these specimens. The word is now going out, and notice should be posted on texarch-l shortly. Within a few days, TARL will be posting images of the items on their web site. Given the elapsed time, it is likely that the objects are long gone, but there is a small chance that they are still in the state or even still in Austin. You can help by keeping your eyes and ears open. If you happen to know collectors who buy artifacts, especially Caddo pottery, please notify them of the theft. Dealers should also be informed; presumably they would not wish to deal in stolen goods. If you have the time, you might check web sites where pottery vessels are sold, and notify them of the theft. In a few days the images should be available on the TARL web site, so that the vessels can be identified if they surface. Notice of the posting will be disseminated through texarch-l and other means. I will notify all of my East Texas contacts when the images are available. This is a profound loss to archeology, to art, and to the Caddo. Let's hope that the items will be recovered and that the thieves will be apprehended and punished. I am sending this to nearly everyone on my contact list. I apologize if you receive double or triple postings.
Mark Mark L. Parsons East Texas Regional Archeologist Texas Historical Commission 512-463-7004 (phone) 512-463-7002 (FAX) mark.parsons@thc.state.tx.us agency website: www.thc.state.tx.us
Annette Bethke, Outreach Associate Texas Historical Commission History Programs Division (512) 463-1305 annette.bethke@thc.state.tx.us Date sent: Wed, 10 Oct 2001 15:06:10 +0100 From: "Trevor Reynolds" Trevor.Reynolds@english-heritage.org.uk To: securma@xs4all.nl Subject:
Re: Transport of art and personnel in the air
Mats
It is all about risk assessment. I have a standing rule that we don't send staff to countries (or parts of countries) where the (UK) Foreign Office advises no travel, or only essential travel. (see http://www.fco.gov.uk/travel/countryadvice.asp). There are also some other countries which I won't lend to because of frequency of thefts or violence.
When transporting art there are broadly two main risks, damage and theft. One of the points when damage is most likely to occur is when items are loaded on or off vehicles. For this reason I tend to avoid air transport if road transport (including roll on/roll off ferries/trains) is a viable alternative.
We lent a painting to the National Gallery of Art in Washington which flew out the week after the recent disaster, because of its size it flew out on a freight flight and with the tighter security our courier had to travel on a passenger flight which was some concern.
I'm not convinced that the risks of air transport have significantly increased because of recent events (since Sept 11 there has been at least one air crash unconnected with terrorism).
Trevor Reynolds Collections Registrar, English Heritage Room G01, 23 Savile Row, London, W1S 2ET, UK tel: +44 (0)20 7973 3482 fax: +44 (0)20 7973 3001 (GTN 3503 3482)
From: Jonathan Sazonoff saz@kwom.com Subject:
By Faye Flam INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Bouts of soaring creativity and heinous destruction mark almost any place inhabited long enough by human beings, and these opposing forces show up in particularly stark relief in the Central Asian crossroads now known as Afghanistan.
With evidence of civilization dating back 40 centuries and traders plying the Silk Road between East and West as long ago as the first century A.D., Afghanistan is a source of archaeological and artistic treasures that provide tantalizing clues to ancient history and cultures.
How much is left is anyone's guess. Repeated wars over control of the region took their toll. And the current Taliban rulers, enforcing an extreme interpretation of Islamic law, are destroying objects that depict human or animal form, further depleting the country's heritage.
Just this year, monumental stone sculptures of the Buddha dating back to the fifth century A.D. were destroyed by the Taliban's rocket launchers and explosives. More treasures may be missing, among them a 2,000-year-old cache of gold figures and jewelry from a site called Tillya Tepe, a find that has been compared to the treasure found in King Tut's tomb.
full story: http://inq.philly.com/content/inquirer/2001/10/08/magazine/TREASURES08.htm
LONDON (Reuters) - A Jewish family has claimed that an oil painting on display in a Glasgow gallery was forcibly sold by Nazis in 1930s Germany. Glasgow City Council said it had received a letter from a German law firm claiming to represent a Jewish family which owned the still life in Berlin before it was sold at auction in 1936. The painting, ``Le Pate de Jambon,'' was acquired by Sir William Burrell from a German art dealer and put on show in the Burrell Collection Attributed to the 18th Century French artist Jean-Simeon Chardin, it is valued at between 20,000 and 30,000 pounds.
``It (the letter) sets out the background to the claim and states that the family was forced to sell the painting through an auction to meet a wrongful tax demand,'' a council statement said. The council's Repatriation Working Group is considering how to handle the claim for ``Nazi spoliation'' (pillaging). In May this year Glasgow City Council published a list of 232 works of art whose background could not be fully accounted for between 1933 and 1945, when the Nazis were in power.
``This is the only request we have received on the subject of Nazi spoliation and it will be considered fully and sensitively,'' Bailie John Lynch, group convenor, said. ``The process is likely to take at least two to three months. We will take expert advice as required and make a recommendation to the city council as soon as possible.''