“for further study” [Credit: Art Newspaper]
A spokesman told us that the withdrawal was “for further study”, but he remained “hopeful that the stele will be offered at one of our future sales”.
With an estimate of £600,000 to £800,000, the stele would have been by far the most valuable object in the 3 April auction.
The spot at Tell Sheikh Hamad where the monument had originally stood was looted on the night of 14-15 September 1999, although the stele could have been removed earlier.
The Geneva-based seller maintains that he received it from his father in the 1960s.
Following its appearance in the Bonhams catalogue, concerned archaeologists have reported the matter to the police forces of the UK, Germany and the US, as well as to Interpol and Unesco.
Author: Martin Bailey | Source: The Art Newspaper [April 02, 2014]