[MSN] Christie's begins antiquities sale over objections of Greece

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Christie's begins antiquities sale over objections of Greece

London-based auctioneer Christie's defied Greek officials Wednesday and began a two-day auction including the sale of more than 850 antiquities that once belonged to Greece's royal family.

Greece had urged the auction house to withdraw the former royal treasures from sale until officials could confirm they had not been illegally exported from its shores.

The auction house said Tuesday that the collection of King George I's heirlooms had been obtained legally and that it would go ahead with the sale. The auction house declined to identify the person selling the collection.

Greek Culture Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis demanded Christie's provide "clear and detailed explanations" of where the items came from.

"The items that Christie's desires to auction are beyond doubt part of Greek history," he told reporters on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, in an interview shown on Greek television, Voulgarakis warned potential buyers that they could face legal action.

"If someone buys something that proves to be illegal, the state will turn both against Christie's and the buyer," he said, according to Reuters.

"If I were a buyer, I'd think about it."

The lots set to cross the block in London on Wednesday and Thursday include paintings, giant flasks and other silver artifacts, items made of Chinese jade and delicate Fabergé creations.
Treasures sold by royal family in 1991

A spokeswoman for the former Greek royal family said the members sold the collection in 1991.

Now based in London, King Constantine II has been exiled from his country since 1967. In 1974, Greece voted to abolish its monarchy.

In the early 1990s, the government allowed Constantine to remove hundreds of items from the former royal estate at Tatoi, located on the northern edge of Athens.

However, in the years since, Constantine and the Greek government have regularly been at odds over his property rights and his citizenship.

http://www.cbc.ca/