NEW YORK: A 4000-year-old Egyptian alabaster container shaped like a duck and used for a funeral offering has been withdrawn from auction because it may be stolen property, Christie s auction house said on Monday.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Kingdom alabaster offering vessel dating from 2575-2134 BC was expected to sell for $20,000 to $30,000 before it was withdrawn from the sale, according to the Christie s online catalogue for its June 16 sale of antiquities in New York.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 catalogue 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.
The online catalog said the piece was part of a private collection in Israel and was acquired prior to 1975. A number of countries, including Italy and Greece, have been putting pressure on institutions like museums to return antiquities that may have been removed illegally.
In February, the Metropolitan Museum of Art agreed to hand back to Italy more than 20 allegedly looted ancient artifacts in exchange for loans of Italian treasures.
Former Getty Museum antiquities curator Marion True is on trial in Rome for allegedly conspiring with dealers to traffic in looted artifacts. Officials in Italy and Greece have identified dozens of works held by the Getty that they believe were looted. Agencies
