Jan. 21 (Bloomberg) -- A planned Paris sale of two Qing Dynasty bronzes from the late French designer Yves Saint Laurent’s art collection is raising the ire of patriots in China who say they may sue auction house Christie’s International.

Liu Yang, who heads 67 volunteer lawyers, said the group is preparing a lawsuit to block the February sale of two animal-head sculptures -- a rabbit and a rat. They are among 700 works in the Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge Collection expected to raise as much as 300 million euros ($389 million), according to a Christie’s statement from September. The proceeds will help set up a foundation for AIDS research.

“For each and every item in this collection there is a clear legal title,” Christie’s said in a statement e-mailed today in response to inquiries from Bloomberg News. “We strictly adhere to any and all local and international laws.”

Any lawsuit would be filed in the French courts, Liu said. The lawyers seek to block the sale first and ultimately to repatriate the items. The auction will be held at the Grand Palais.

The 1995 United Nations Unidroit Convention limits claims on stolen cultural artifacts to within 50 years of their theft.

All the bronze heads are among 12 zodiac animals from a water-clock fountain in Yuanmingyuan, or the Imperial Summer Palace. The palace was set ablaze and its treasures plundered and scattered by British and French troops in October 1860.

Sale of a tiger head from the same fountain in 2000 by Christie’s rival Sotheby’s sparked protests in Hong Kong initiated by the city’s lawmakers. The horse head was offered by Sotheby’s in September 2007, privately bought by Macau billionaire Stanley Ho for $8.9 million and donated to China.

Boar, Monkey, Ox

In 2003, Ho bought the fountain’s boar head at a private sale and donated it to Beijing’s Poly Museum, an arm of the People’s Liberation Army. Poly Museum also has the monkey and ox. Whereabouts of the others are unknown.

“These items belong to China and should return to us,” said Liu, in a phone interview. “Prices of these items have soared beyond the reach of civilians and governments.”

The State Administration of Cultural Heritage declined to comment. In a November interview that ran on Xinhua News Service’s Web Site, Cultural Heritage Administration’s head of museums, Song Xinchao, said the sale of the two bronze heads violates international laws and China firmly opposes the auction.

China will try to repatriate lost treasures “through legal channels,” Song had said, without giving details.

Opium War

More than 1 million pieces of top-grade Chinese relics are scattered in more than 200 museums in 47 nations, according to a 2003 article by state-run Xinhua News. Looting was at its worst in the century after the first Opium War (1839-1842), when British, Russians and other foreign troops annexed parts of China.

The chances of repatriating items lost during foreign countries invasion of China are “a long, complicated legal process,” said He Shuzhong, founder of Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center, a nongovernment organization. He is also an official at the Cultural Heritage Administration.

“We could spend our time and energy pursuing these lost relics, with little promise of return,” He said in a telephone interview. “Or we could move forward and focus on protecting the treasures we still have.”

The Times, UK
January 21, 2009

China is trying to block the sale in Paris of two 18th-century bronze animal heads from the collection of Yves Saint Laurent, the late French couturier, because they were looted from Beijing by a marauding Franco-British army.

A team of Beijing lawyers is to lodge a suit with French courts to prevent the sale during a three-day auction by Christie's from February 23.

The items, the heads of a rat and a rabbit that were taken in 1860 from the Yuan Ming Yuan garden, the Imperial Summer Palace, on the edge of Beijing, have an estimated sale price of between £16-20million.

“We hope they stop the sale and order the owner of the stolen items to return them,” said Liu Yang, one of 67 Chinese lawyers working on the case.

Christie's has dismissed the Chinese claim. “If we had to give these two pieces free to China, we would have to hand back the [Ancient Egyptian] Obelisk on the Place de La Concorde and numerous paintings in the Louvre,” a Christie's employee told lepoint.fr news site.

The rat and rabbit were among 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac that were part of a fountain built for the Qing dynasty emperor by French and Italian Jesuit priests. They were allegedly taken in 1860 when allied French and British armies under the command of Lord Elgin sacked the palace after the imperial Government murdered British diplomats. The Chinese suit has echoes of Greece's demand for the return from the British Museum of the Marbles that his father, the seventh Lord Elgin, removed from the Parthenon.

Mr Liu has worked in recent years to recover cultural treasures lost overseas during the turbulent 19th and 20th centuries. He indicated to the French media that he was working on behalf of the administration of the Yuan Ming Yuan (Garden of Perfect Brightness) and the Lost Cultural Relics Recovery Fund. China has refused to pay for the relics, saying they are the property of the nation.

Five of the 12 heads, regarded as some of the finest cast pieces in China, have already been recovered. China Poly Group bought the ox, monkey and tiger bronzes for between £600,000 and £1.2million each. The national fund purchased the boar from an American collector for about £500,000 in 2003 and last September a Hong Kong entrepreneur paid £5.5million for the horse as a gift to the nation. The other five heads are missing.

Christie's said that Mr Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, his partner, had acquired the items legally and that they had “a clear and detailed provenance”. They had passed through the hands of various European collectors before ending up in the hands of Mr Saint Laurent and Mr Bergé.

The dispute over the bronzes follows a campaign by Beijing since last spring to punish France for President Sarkozy's support for the Dalai Lama and criticism of Chinese policy towards Tibet.

Christian Deydier, a French Asian art specialist, accused the Chinese of carrying out a publicity stunt. “These objects were looted by the Chinese themselves as much as the Westerners,” he told le Figaro newspaper.

The art world has run out of superlatives for the Bergé-Saint Laurent collection, which includes Picassos, Gauguins and Matisses, and is expected to raise up to £300million.

Jan. 21 (Bloomberg) --
More than 1 million pieces of top-grade Chinese relics are scattered in more than 200 museums in 47 nations

at least these treasures survive the cultural revolution. :)

at least these treasures survive the cultural revolution. :)

But there wouldn't be any cultural revolution if the opium wars and subsequent miseries did not happen.


Maybe the Chinese should invade France and GB, force them to buy drugs, loot their palaces, burn the rest to the ground, wreaking havoc on their society, use divide and rule to disunite the populace and one hundred years later the Chinese tell them that they just save their treasures from the subsequent havocs. Sweet, ey? :)

^^ But if the old/Imperial China was more open minded and embraced political reforms rather than clinging to the old ideology, perhaps China would not have had to endure such abuse from foreign powers. The monarchs of Imperial China refused to accept the fact that China was really weak economically, militarily and technologically compared to the Occidental counterparts back then. The strong one are always bound to bully the weak ones. Japan nearly suffered the same fate but they quickly changed the political layout of the country and held tightly to industrialization and modernization.

A country is often subjected to victimized bullying if the concept of "progress" is not clearly construed in that country.

The CPC for sure understands this more than anyone else.

From The Times, UK
(editorial page)
February 27, 2009

Buy them back
China could have regained its summer palace bronzes by opening its chequebook



China has come out fighting in its battle against the sale in Paris of two looted sculptures from the collection of Yves Saint Laurent. Literally.

Jackie Chan, the movie star-cum-martial arts wizard, has entered the row, his fists whirring like helicopter blades, to demand the return of the two bronzes. Removed when British and French forces sacked the Old Summer Palace in Beijing 1860, the two sculptures were knocked down to anonymous bidders for €14 million each in a Christie's sale orchestrated by Saint Laurent's partner, Pierre Bergé.

With China's relations with France already chilled by President Sarkozy's support for Tibet and the Dalai Lama, and with Mr Bergé having declared that the bronzes should be returned only “when China establishes human rights”, Mr Chan's arrival to accuse France of behaving disgracefully injects a novel tang into the brawl. The row over the cultural relics has turned into the continuation of diplomacy by kung fu.

This newspaper, too, finds itself playing a cameo role in the drama, since Lord Elgin (no, not that one; his son) claims to have been motivated to plunder the Palace of Emperor Qianlong to avenge the torture and murder of a score of Western prisoners: one of these victims was Thomas Bowlby, a correspondent for The Times.

But why China's fighting talk? The bronze rat and rabbit are part of a group of 12 animal fountainheads from the palace. China has already bought back five of the 12. It fears that buying any more “would give the ‘stolen' goods a coat of legitimacy”. No, it would not. A rich and proud China should have seized its chance to raise its arm and bid for the sculptures like anyone else.

^^ what ?? So if some people pillage my house. Do I need to buy back the furnitures from the burglars which were plundered by the same burglars ? I think this situation is so complicated that it goes beyond the power of the chequebook.

And what is the connection between human rights and national treasure here ?. I guess it is just another lame excuse to keep the auction going.

This is from Germany's No. 1 News channel:

http://www.tagesschau.de/kultur/laurent120.html

Von China als Beutekunst bezeichnet: Skulpturen eines Hasen und einer Ratte.

Translation:
China described them as looted art: sculpture of a rabbit and a rat.

So, it's a description, a claim made by China and not a well known and recognised fact.

As you can see in broad day light. This is "Western" culture, this is "Western" justice, this is "Western" moral!

There's honour among thieves.

I have a solution.

Step 1) As the deed is done and nothing more can be achieved by further talk we forget about this whole thing for now. There are other matters more worthy of attention.

Step 2) Meanwhile, in the shadows, our intelligence agencies + netizens track down whoever it is that has the bronze heads now.

Step 3) Organize/hire/blackmail/whatever a group of mercenary elite ninja burglars to steal these bronze heads. Make sure that in the event that they fail they can't be tracked back to us.

Step 4) Pass the bronze heads through several buyers (all our puppets of course) eventually landing somewhere where our Customs can conveniently discover and confiscate them. End of saga + poetic justice.

:nuts:

I have a solution.

Step 1) As the deed is done and nothing more can be achieved by further talk we forget about this whole thing for now. There are other matters more worthy of attention.

Step 2) Meanwhile, in the shadows, our intelligence agencies + netizens track down whoever it is that has the bronze heads now.

Step 3) Organize/hire/blackmail/whatever a group of mercenary elite ninja burglars to steal these bronze heads. Make sure that in the event that they fail they can't be tracked back to us.

Step 4) Pass the bronze heads through several buyers (all our puppets of course) eventually landing somewhere where our Customs can conveniently discover and confiscate them. End of saga + poetic justice.

:nuts:

You have my recommendation. Let's begin to train such super ninja mercenaries! :lol:

have the ninjas steal the mona lisa, since thievery seems to be justified by the french these days

China needs a Mossad. I've said it tens of times.

I just heard that the anonymous bidder for the two statues was a Chinese guy. He said that he wanted to bid as high as possible so that by the end of the auction it would not be sold as he does not have the money at all to pay for the statues.

LOL

my friend's girlfriend a chinese scholar in London told us that she thinks the chinese authorities don't want the statues heading back to China, not at the moment- due to slowdown in the chinese economy and 50th anniversary of liberation of Tibet. The true 'value' of the statues is in paris not in china. This is just a stage show. One of the dialogue is- yes, the "moral high ground" colonisers are still occupying our nations by not returning those treasures back to China, India, Egypt..etc.

The mysterious bidder was a Chinese antique collector named Cai and this is what he said, "I believe that any Chinese person would stand up at this time... I am making an effort to fulfil my own responsibilities," Cai said.

"But I must stress that this money I cannot pay."

China should just ban YSL in the country.

And what is the connection between human rights and national treasure here ?. I guess it is just another lame excuse to keep the auction going.
I read about this auction story in the Toronto Star today. (Toronto Star is pretty obviously biased, even if you ask an average Canadian living in Toronto.) They printed a quote from someone who said something like, "If you want the treasures back, grant liberty to Tibet and welcome the Dalai Lama." They then said that the PRC government was "outraged" by this statement.

(I thought the PRC offered the the Dalai Lama some deals back in the 1980s and 1990s (like granting him access to stuff in mainland China or something like that), but he refused because he thought China would collapse as a result of Tian'anmen like the USSR?)

This is from Germany's No. 1 News channel:

http://www.tagesschau.de/kultur/laurent120.html

Von China als Beutekunst bezeichnet: Skulpturen eines Hasen und einer Ratte.

Translation:
China described them as looted art: sculpture of a rabbit and a rat.

So, it's a description, a claim made by China and not a well known and recognised fact.

As you can see in broad day light. This is "Western" culture, this is "Western" justice, this is "Western" moral!

There's honour among thieves.


I would not say this is Western culture, I don't know what is wrong the German media but here in the UK, the mass media did say that the two bronze heads were indeed looted by British and French troops.

I read about this auction story in the Toronto Star today. (Toronto Star is pretty obviously biased, even if you ask an average Canadian living in Toronto.) They printed a quote from someone who said something like, "If you want the treasures back, grant liberty to Tibet and welcome the Dalai Lama." They then said that the PRC government was "outraged" by this statement.

(I thought the PRC offered the the Dalai Lama some deals back in the 1980s and 1990s (like granting him access to stuff in mainland China or something like that), but he refused because he thought China would collapse as a result of Tian'anmen like the USSR?)

Oh well he is not getting anything now, is he ? Tough luck.

I would not say this is Western culture, I don't know what is wrong the German media but here in the UK, the mass media did say that the two bronze heads were indeed looted by British and French troops.

But you have also seen a lot of reactions. Plenty of people try to justify the action (by P. Berger) and the looting in the past.

Why should China Ban YSL? It's not like HE looted the art, and if it makes things any better, the proceeds from the sale went to charity.

Comparable story from India, although I'm not sure how the guy got his hands on the items. Some fairly insulting comments directed at the Indian government IMO.
Collector to India: Make an offer

(CNN) -- The California-based collector who plans to auction off Mahatma Gandhi's belongings said he will meet with Indian government officials on Wednesday to try to settle a row over the rightful ownership of the items.

James Otis told CNN that he hopes the Indian government is "willing to offer something very generous to India's poorest in exchange for the donation of the items to the government."

"I would hope that the Indian government would offer something as great as Gandhi's cause," Otis said in Los Angeles. He said he will travel to New York to meet with Indian officials at the government consulate there on Wednesday.

"I will ask the Indian government if they would do a great gesture to the poorest of India, like those that we've all seen in 'Slumdog Millionaire,'" Otis said, referring to the Academy Award-winning film.

If the Indian government does not "step up" and make an offer, Otis said he plans to auction the items -- which include Gandhi's the famous metal-rimmed glasses -- on Thursday and donate the proceeds "to promote Gandhi's great words and actions."

"The majority of the money that is received from this auction will be going to non-violence causes, causes that will promote the discussion and the debate about non-violence," he said. "That is where I believe Gandhi would have hoped this money would have gone."

Gandhi, who waged a long struggle against British rule in India, was assassinated in New Delhi by a Hindu fanatic on January 30, 1948. He is still widely revered for his insistence on non-violent protest to achieve political and social progress.

Otis said he did not fully understand the outrage over the planned auction because Gandhi was not interested in material possessions, many of his belongings are already in India's museums, and Gandhi himself had often auctioned off gifts that he had received to raise money for the poor.

"I understand the anger that people want his treasures, his national treasures," Otis said. "I hope they understand that if the Indian government does step up and do it as a grand gesture ... to help poorest of poor, I think they would understand and feel that Gandhi's work is being achieved through these possessions being auctioned off."

The glasses are scheduled to be auctioned off at the Antiquorum auction house on New York's Madison Avenue along with Gandhi's pocketwatch, sandals, bowl, and plate with letters of authenticity, according to the Web site for Antiquorum, which specializes in watches. The glasses and other items are estimated to sell for as much as $30,000, the Web site said.

On Tuesday a high court in New Delhi, India, issued an injunction to stop the auction scheduled to take place on Thursday.

The ruling was based on a plea filed by a trust that he said cited itself as the "rightful beneficiary" of the articles under Gandhi's will, said India's solicitor-general, Mohan Parasaran.

He added that the order would be served to the auction house through the Indian consulate in New York.

When asked about the ruling, an Antiquorum representative told CNN Tuesday that "at this point the Gandhi items are still being auctioned on Thursday."

China should just ban YSL in the country.

YSL already died, it's part of his collection.

I would not say this is Western culture, I don't know what is wrong the German media but here in the UK, the mass media did say that the two bronze heads were indeed looted by British and French troops.

So reports the German media. YelloP is exaggerating as usual.

Why should China Ban YSL? It's not like HE looted the art, and if it makes things any better, the proceeds from the sale went to charity.

Are you justifying the robbery just because the money goes to a charity? Can i steal your house, live in it a few years, then sell it and donate the money to a charity. Would it make my action anymore ethical?

So reports the German media. YelloP is exaggerating as usual.

Funny though that you come here just to say this but failed to appear to condemn the auction by Christie's.

YSL should not be banned in China. We should hit where it hurts the most, its pocket book. Encourage people to boyscott its products and anything to do with YSL.

Are you justifying the robbery just because the money goes to a charity? Can i steal your house, live in it a few years, then sell it and donate the money to a charity. Would it make my action anymore ethical?
Again YSL wasn't the "thief," he only bought a stolen piece of property and then sold it.

Regarding your reference to real estate, legally speaking a person who buys a "stolen" property (ie. due to a falsified title deed) in good faith is entitled to it by law (at least under Common Law). The original owner who was victimized can sue for compensation from the one who "stole" the property but cannot get his land back if the new owner doesn't want to deal.

No one feels particularly sorry for the Chinese.

This is welcome news.

The subtext of any lack of sympathy from the West: We believe you are a credible enough competitor that we do not pity you. We do not believe you are so pitiful that it would be a feel good act of charity on our part to condemn the looting and return your stuff.

The "West" didn't feel the pity when it forced China to legalise opium and burnt down Yuanmingyuan. The "West" never felt any pity when it plundered, looted and murdered other peoples to gain land, wealth or resources.

BTW, no one needs "western" pity. The "West" is in no position to grant China any pity. Bloody condescending attitude.

No one feels particularly sorry for the Chinese.

This is welcome news.

The subtext of any lack of sympathy from the West: We believe you are a credible enough competitor that we do not pity you. We do not believe you are so pitiful that it would be a feel good act of charity on our part to condemn the looting and return your stuff.
I don't see how "sympathy" has anything to do with this, the owners of the object just don't want to pay for something that happened in the past. If "pathetic" countries ever got any "pity" the British Museum would be sitting pretty empty right now.

The British feel sorry for colonizing the Egyptians but the Rosetta Stone is too amazing to give up.

The Italians feel sorry for the invasion of Ethiopia and the obelisk isn't that amazing so they returned it.

Most civilized countries recognize that if you buy something that you know was stolen in the first place, it's still considered stolen and you're committing a crime if you buy it. That juist goes to show the double-standard for rich elite thieves because in the real world if anyone is caught buying property that was stolen in the first place, that's considered a crime.

We should fucking boycott France, after all the Olympic bullshit, carrefour, and now this, I think it's time!