[MSN] Stolen Egyptian artifact removed from NY auction

[Museum Security Network Mailinglist]

Stolen Egyptian artifact removed from NY auction
Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:10 AM ET


NEW YORK (Reuters) - A 4000-year-old Egyptian alabaster container shaped
like a duck and used for a funeral offering has been withdrawn from auction
because it may be stolen property, Christie's auction house said on Monday.

The Old Kingdom alabaster offering vessel dating from 2575 to 2134 BC was
expected to sell for $20,000 to $30,000 before it was withdrawn from the
sale, according to the Christie's online catalog for its June 16 sale of
antiquities in New York.

"Upon receiving information which led us to believe that the object had
possibly been improperly taken out of Egypt, we contacted the appropriate
U.S. authorities and withdrew the item from the sale," Christie's said in a
statement.

"We are pleased that the transparency of the public auction system has led
to the possible identification of a stolen work of art and its return to its
country of origin," it said, adding that the item would be returned as soon
as possible.

The catalog listing described the vessel as "composed of two halves,
sculpted in the form of a trussed fowl."

It said the item was used to contain offerings of food and drink which,
according to ancient Egyptian burial practices, the deceased required for
survival in the afterlife.

"In richly appointed tombs the offerings were often stored in containers
mirroring the contents inside," it said.

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