http://museum-security.org/
securma@xs4all.nl
SITE MAP
August 10, 1999
CONTENTS:
- RE: THE LOST MASTERS, the looting of Europe's treasurehouses (James
Austin)
- Israel Antiquities Authority (Jonathan Sazonoff)
- UNAUTHORIZED EAST JERUSALEM ANTIQUITIES DEALER CAUGHT IN
POSSESSION OF RARE COIN FROM PERIOD OF BAR-KOKHBA REVOLT
- Thieves Steal Dutch Paintings (De Momper, Van Ostade, Van Mieris
a.o.'s)
- Couple charged in antique-theft scheme
- GUATEMALA RECOVERS 1,000 YEAR-OLD MAYAN STONE FIGURE
- Clergy put on alert after thieves target churches
- Ukraine Could Repatriate Lost CPE Bach Scores To Germany
- Museums urged to run for cover
- Dutch treat (Rembrandt etchings found)
From: "James R. Austin" xaustinx@compuserve.com
Subject: THE LOST MASTERS, the looting of Europe's treasurehouses
Dear Mr Cremers,
I look forward to reading the new book 'The Lost Masters'. Thank you
for the information on its publication. My son works in London and I
will turn to him to send it to me after the publication date.
Realizing that your informative note to your subscribers is in no way
an attempt to list all the books on the subject, I was nonetheless
slightly surprised that you did not include Lynn H. Nicholas' "The
Rape of Europe" alongside Feliciano's "The Lost Museum" and
Simpson's "The Spoils of War". Mrs Nicholas' book presents an
absolutely astonishing feat of research and persistence in slogging
through tons of old archives and records. To me, her book is a must
reading to anyone who is interested in this no-longer-arcane subject.
I spent about 30 years in Germany and have been doing painting
conservation for about the same length of time. I have a great
personal and professional interest in this unbelievably complex
issue. We all know it will never be completely settled. Every thing
which contributes to the efforts of bringing the artworks which were
stolen and sold under great and inhumane duress back to their righful
owners, however, should be supported and praised. Thus my praise to
you and your efforst.
Most cordial regards..............James R. Austin
++++++Moderator's addition++++++++++
Lynn H. Nicholas' "The Rape of Europe"
Paperback Reprint edition (May 1995)
Vintage Books; ISBN: 0679756868
Hardcover - 498 pages (May 1994)
Knopf; ISBN: 0679400699
From Booklist , May 1, 1994
The world is still trying to fathom the enormity of the violence
perpetrated by the Nazis. While the unending horror of the Holocaust
continues to shock and baffle us, other facets of this unprecedented
attempt at ethnic and cultural annihilation are still being revealed.
One such facet consists of the mind-boggling facts about the Germans'
wholesale pillaging of the art treasures of Europe. Nicholas
painstakingly reconstructs the entire art debacle, relating one
improbable but fully documented tale after another of systematic
confiscation, outright theft, shameful deal-making, and fiendish
destruction. The flip side to these atrocities is a litany of heroic
efforts by curators, art historians, and many others to conceal,
preserve, and protect the art of their land. Nicholas chronicles
dozens of risky and dramatic struggles to keep the treasures of
Poland, Czechoslovakia, Holland, France, Russia, and Italy out of the
hands of their mad conquerors. While thousands upon thousands of
precious paintings, sculptures, medieval manuscripts, and other
invaluable objects were torn from churches, homes, libraries, and
museums and shipped to Germany, hundreds more were frantically buried,
camouflaged, or stashed in basements, country estates, salt mines, or
quarry tunnels. Nicholas is in full command of a daunting amount of
detailed information. She eloquently and efficiently introduces a huge
cast of characters and artworks and manages to cover both the
terrifying war years and the curatorial and logistical nightmare of
their aftermath, when the Allies' overworked "Monument men" labored
against all odds and in spite of many controversies to return
recovered masterpieces to their rightful owners. Nicholas, a
first-time author, has constructed a momentous and riveting work.
Donna Seaman
Copyrightc 1994, American Library Association. All rights reserved
From: Jonathan Sazonoff saz@kwom.com
Organization: SAZ PRODUCTIONS, INC.
Subject: Israel Antiquities Authority
Dear Subscribers,
In the course of research, on missing antiquities, I came across a
site that may be of interest, to some on the mailing list.
Israel has a web site for their Antiquities Authority. A portion of
that site offers updated news concerning Israel's efforts to protect
cultural property.
Israel Antiquities Authority
http://www.israntique.org.il/eng/news.html
Also, on a related note, does anyone on the list have an e-mail
contact for the Egyptian Government's Supreme Council of Antiquities
(SCA), Higher Council of Antiquities (HCA), or any other government
department concerned with Egypt's national patrimony?
Jonathan Sazonoff
Pres. Saz Prod., Inc.
http://www.saztv.com
Contributing US Ed.
Museum Security Network
http://www.museum-security.org/saz.html
http://www.israntique.org.il/www_site/owa/ne.item?nid=622&lid=1
UNAUTHORIZED EAST JERUSALEM ANTIQUITIES DEALER CAUGHT IN POSSESSION OF
RARE COIN FROM PERIOD OF BAR-KOKHBA REVOLT
An unlicensed antiquities dealer was caught over the weekend by the
IAA Anti-Theft Unit while trying to sell Hellenistic and Roman period
coins, apparently stolen from Jewish sites in the Jerusalem area and
the Judean plain. Amongst them was a rare bronze coin from the time
of the Bar-Kokhba revolt. It was inscribed with the words, "To the
Second Year of the Freedom of Jerusalem". The suspect, well-known to
the Anti-Theft Unit, was captured after a lengthy intelligence
operation, and handed over to the police. He pleaded guilty to the
charge of unauthorized commerce in antiquities and was freed on
5000NIS bail and third party surety. The IAA voiced concern over the
recent substantial rise in unauthorized commerce in antiquities. With
the Year 2000 celebrations approaching, it appears that antiquities
shops feel the need to increase their wares in anticipation of the
expected rise in tourists who are the major buyers of antiquities.
The IAA Anti-Theft Unit reports a recent stir in the antiquities
market with tens of unauthorized middlemen. Sixteen of them have been
caught since the beginning of the year.
Copyright c 1999 Israel Antiquities Authority
Thieves Steal Dutch Paintings
BUSSUM, Netherlands (AP) - Thieves snatched seven valuable paintings
by Flemish masters from the house of an art collector, Dutch media
reported Saturday.
The value of the paintings, by 17th century Dutch and Belgian
artists, was not released by police.
The paintings were stolen Tuesday night from a house in Bussum, an
upscale town 15 miles east of Amsterdam. The identity of the
paintings' owner was not released.
Investigators say the thieves left behind many other valuable works,
indicating they might have taken the seven paintings to fulfill
particular orders.
Among the stolen artwork was a landscape on a wooden panel by Joos de
Momper, a painting of a boy with a bird cage by Frans van Mieris and
the interior of a farm by Adriaan van Ostade.
Other works stolen were by seascape artist Abraham Hendriksz, Pieter
Quast and Jaque de Gryeff. The seventh painting was unsigned. Dutch
daily De Telegraaf, citing an Amsterdam art dealer, described them as
highly desirable.
Details of the stolen paintings have been passed along to the
international police agency Interpol.
Police think this is a theft-to-order case since the thieves did not
bother to take several other valuable paintings. Even stolen
paintings are very much wanted in criminal circles. Criminals are
looking for a way to invest their illegal, black money.
Couple charged in antique-theft scheme
Saturday, August 07, 1999
ASSOCIATED PRESS
FINDLAY - A husband and wife stole thousands of collectible items from
antiques stores across the nation with the unknowing help of their
5-year-old daughter, authorities said.
Police Lt. Chuck Wilson said Terri Lynn Reeves would distract store
operators while husband Donald Boone would grab the loot. The girl
would sometimes hold the door for her dad, Wilson said.
They would then sell items including pottery, expensive paintings and
old jewelry to stores in other towns.
"It apparently was their livelihood," Wilson said. "During the past
five years, we believe they pretty much lived on the road, from motel
to motel."
Police arrested the pair Wednesday after receiving a tip from a local
dealer who read about the scheme in a trade magazine.
The couple hit stores in at least 11 states over five years, Wilson
said. Occasionally, they would stop at a home they maintained in
Sevierville, Tenn.
Boone, 52, and Reeves, 36, were in Findlay Municipal Court yesterday
on a charge of receiving stolen property. Police said the car they
were driving had been stolen in Tennessee in July 1998.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday. Authorities said
additional charges may be filed.
Their daughter was in the custody of Hancock County Children Services
and was expected to be placed in foster care until the case is
resolved. Wilson said police don't believe the child was aware of what
her parents allegedly were doing.
Police have contacted antiques dealers and police agencies from
several states where similar thefts have been reported. So far, the
investigation has determined the couple may have stolen items in Ohio,
Indiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia,
Minnesota, New Jersey, Colorado and Washington.
Tom Hoepf, an editor at AntiqueWeek, an Indiana-based magazine with
65,000 subscribers, said the publication has carried at least six
stories in the past year about pottery thefts attributed to a couple
and a child.
"I think there will be a lot of people happy to hear about the
arrests," he said.
From: "Biondo, Drew" DBION@herrick.com
Subject: GUATEMALA RECOVERS 1,000 YEAR-OLD MAYAN STONE FIGURE.
Howard N. Spiegler, Esq.(212-592-1444)
Lawrence M. Kaye, Esq. (212-592-1410)
Herrick, Feinstein LLP
Attorneys for Guatemala
For photos and a press release on-line visit:
http://www.geocities.com/WallStreet/Highrise/4257/index.html
http://www.geocities.com/WallStreet/Highrise/4257/index.html
The Republic of Guatemala announced on Wednesday August 4th that an
intricately carved section of a Mayan limestone monument over a
thousand years old, which had been pillaged from an archaeological
site in northwestern Guatemala over 25 years ago, has been recovered
and will be returned to Guatemala shortly. The white stone artifact,
depicting a masked bejeweled human figure with various adornments, was
displayed today at the Guatemalan Consulate in New York by Consul
General Fabiola Fuentes Orellana.
The stone relic once formed part of a monument or "stela" built by
the Mayans at the El Peru archaeological site in the Peten region of
Guatemala, explained Dr. Ian Graham, an archaeologist at the Peabody
Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University, who has
conducted extensive archaeological research in Mayan antiquities, and
who found the El Peru site in 1971. Upon entering the site, Dr.
Graham discovered that it had been widely pillaged, with several
stone monuments sawed into pieces and their carved surfaces removed.
He observed that one particular monument, however, had only one
section cut out and removed, and he took photographs and measurements
of it for his studies.
Last autumn -- 27 years later -- Dr. Graham discovered that an
artifact being offered for sale by a private American collector
appeared to be the missing section of the El Peru monument. He
reviewed his records, and confirmed that the listed piece fit
perfectly into the surrounding images of the monument he had
photographed in 1971. Dr. Graham immediately notified the Guatemalan
Consulate in New York. Guatemala's attorneys, Howard N. Spiegler and
Lawrence M. Kaye of the New York firm of Herrick, Feinstein, who
specialize, among other things, in representing governments and
individuals seeking to recover artwork, then contacted the United
States Customs Service, and assisted with its investigation. The
piece was withdrawn from sale and, after further discussions with
Guatemala's attorneys, the collector, who wishes to remain anonymous,
agreed to return it to Guatemala. Consul General Fuentes expressed her
warm appreciation to all those who assisted in recovering the stela
section, which she described as a significant part of Guatemala's
cultural heritage that will be displayed shortly at the National
Museum of Anthropology and History in Guatemala City. Mr. Spiegler
added that "the recovery of this priceless treasure is an outstanding
example of Guatemala's efforts to combat the international traffic in
looted antiquities that victimizes so many countries." Consul General
Fuentes particularly thanked Dr. Graham for his vigilance, and praised
the collector's cooperation. She urged all those who learn about
antiquities stolen from Guatemala to follow this example and see to it
that all such objects are returned. She emphasized that Guatemala
will continue its tireless efforts to ensure that all antiquities
illegally removed from Guatemala are found and "brought home."
Clergy put on alert after thieves target churches
By Victoria Combe, Religion Correspondent
(Daily Telegraph)
CLERGY are being warned to increase security after a surge in the
number of serious burglaries, with churches being stripped of altars,
lecterns, lights, pews, silverware and works of art. Seven major
thefts from churches in the South and South-West have been recorded
since May by National Church Watch, which fears that organised gangs
are responsible. Nick Tolson, from National Church Watch, said: "Most
involve large, valuable furniture and art."
Figures collected by National Church Watch from 22 of the 41 police
forces in England and Wales show 9,492 crimes were committed against
churches in 1998. The thefts make it increasingly difficult for parish
churches to remain open during the day as most cannot afford closed
circuit television and rely on volunteers keeping an eye on the
building.
About 40 eagle lecterns are stolen each year, many ending up in the
hands of Fascist groups in Germany and Eastern Europe because of the
similarity with the eagle of the Third Reich. Mr Tolson said: "Our
Christian heritage is slowly being lost. Although the financial value
is not inconsiderable, the cost to our communities is immeasurable."
Ukraine Could Repatriate Lost CPE Bach Scores To Germany
KIEV, Aug 6, 1999 -- (Reuters) Ukraine is ready "in principle" to
repatriate to Germany a priceless haul of lost Carl Philip Emanuel
Bach scores recently discovered in Kiev, a senior official said
Thursday. "In principle, Ukraine's policy is to return to the country
of origin art objects taken by Soviet troops during World War II, and
to exchange them for pillaged Ukrainian works of art," Olena
Yurchenko, an official from the national commission for the return of
works of art, told AFP. The musical treasure trove comprises more than
5,000 scores from the personal collection of CPE Bach (1714-1788), the
second son of Johann Sebastian Bach. The collection also includes
music by his illustrious father, brothers and ancestors. The items
were discovered by scholars from Harvard and the Ukrainian Academy of
Sciences in the Central State Archive-Museum of Literature and Art,
after a 20-year search by Harvard University music professor Christoph
Wolff. Originally kept at the Sing-Akademie Library in Berlin, the
collection was sent to Silesia, a former German province now in
Poland, for safekeeping during World War II. The find represents the
most valuable trophy collection -- art, books and archives sent to the
former Soviet Union -- to have surfaced in Ukraine. Many researchers
feared the collection had been destroyed. It remains unclear how the
valuable manuscripts had been transported to Ukraine, which foreign
ministry officials confirmed has signed accords with Germany, Hungary
and Poland on the return of pillaged national treasures. However, "we
often have difficult negotiations with Germany on this issue,"
commented Yurchenko. In 1993 the former Soviet republic returned to
Germany "cultural objects linked to Goethe and several archaeological
pieces," she said, and in 1996 sent back 95 engravings and 57
lithographs originally from Dresden. ((c) 1999 Reuters)
Museums urged to run for cover
BY DALYA ALBERGE
(Times of London)
MUSEUMS and galleries could face lawsuits worth millions of pounds
from injured visitors, a government advisory body said yesterday. An
American tourist who tripped on a step at a national museum recently
received compensation on the grounds that there was no sign warning to
"beware of the step".
Jeremy Warren, the assistant director of The Museums and Galleries
Commission, said: "National museums no longer benefit from Crown
immunity so they must process and settle claims out of already
over-stretched budgets, diverting resources away from their core
functions."
Crown immunity once meant that public collections could not be sued,
but lawsuits have increased steadily since the practice was scrapped
by the last Tory Government. The commission spoke out after publishing
its report, Museums and Insurance, compiled by City University.
The study found that only 26 per cent of museums had food poisoning
liability insurance, although most served food. Only half had
insurance against malicious damage and 57 per cent had flooding cover.
Mr Warren said Britain should follow the US, where museum insurance
was cheap because they were considered low-risk, with sophisticated
security and anti-fire systems. He said the approach in Britain should
be more "flexible".
Dutch treat
Rembrandt etchings found
TWO Rembrandt etchings found by a book lover in a box of novels he
bought at a secondhand market in Deventer, 60 miles east of Amsterdam,
have been valued at a total of 10,300. The man bought the books for
31. One of the etchings depicts the artist's mother and the other the
Good Samaritan. In May two Rembrandt etchings that a Dutch woman found
in a book were sold for 31,000.
Main Indexpage