CHINA> National
|
CHINA> National
|
|
China tightens control on Christie's after auction
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-02-26 15:18
The two bronze sculptures, representing the heads of a rabbit and a rat, were among 12 animal head sculptures that formed a zodiac-themed water clock decorating the Calm Sea Pavilion in the Old Summer Palace of Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795) in Beijing. They were looted when the palace was burned down by Anglo-French allied forces during the Second Opium War in 1860. So far, five of the 12 bronze animal heads have been returned to China, while the whereabouts of five others are unknown. The Association for the Protection of Chinese Art in Europe filed a motion at the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Paris Thursday, seeking an injunction to stop the auction. The court rejected the motion Monday.
|
