Egypt’s iconic Archaeologist Dr.Zahi Hawass considered that Christie’s ongoing sale for a bust of Tutankhamun is a shame for the London based auction house.
In exclusive remarks to ‘SEE’ from USA, Hawass explained that the statue of the Pharaonic king’s head featured God Amun, adding that it was not there among the 5,398 pieces discovered by Howard Carter in 1922, which were never made from Quartzite stone, like this on sale bust.
Hawass affirmed that this head was stolen from Karnak temple after 1970, adding that he is a member of the supreme committee of retrieving the stolen antiques. He noted that Minister of Antiques Dr. Khaled El Anani has asked the General Prosecutor Nabil Sadiq to file judicial proceedings, and issue a legal memo to stop the sale of the bust as well as addressing UNESCO for this issue.
Tutankhamun
Hawass said that Christie’s disclosed the identity of the owner of the bust, however, when the media contacted him, they found that he was dead. His family denied any relationship with the bust. “Christie's, accordingly, does not have any evidence that the bust had exited Egypt in legal way,” he added.
He warned the British auction house of a loss of reputation because the Pharaonic civilization is owned, not only by Egypt, but it is related to the whole world too.
He explained that upon retrieving this piece, the bust will be shown inside the exhibition of Tutankhamun in Paris then London, then Egypt, instead of being only and exclusively shown in closed private room for a wealthy buyer.
Hawass stressed that if the statue is sold today, it will become a black day in the history of Christie's house.
https://see.news/baa-denounces-selling-tutankhamun-head-31-artifacts-in-london/
Follow the latest news on Google News
