British auction house Christie’s has sold a 3,000 old stone head sculpture of an ancient Egyptian figure bearing the facial features of Tutankhamun for 4.7 million sterling pounds on Thursday. The statue, whose sale has sparked controversy and outrage, was acquired by an unnamed buyer for £4,746,250 ($5.97m). On the day of the sale, a small group of protesters stood outside the venue to demonstrate against Egypt’s ‘history’ going for sale. Riding the wave of parallel demands for artifact repatriation by Nigeria, Greece, Benin and Ethiopia, Egypt has also reignited its demands for various artifacts from European museums, namely the bust of Nefertiti in the Neues museum as well as the Rosetta stone in the British Museum. The head is supposedly privately owned and has appeared, for the first time on the open market, since 1985. News of the statue’s sale, especially considering who it represents – the famous boy king of the 18th dynasty- sparked outrage on social media where users have expressed dismay that Egyptian artifacts are still privately exploited and bargained. Echoes of criticism have also reverberated from Egyptian officials, namely Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of…
Christie’s Tutankhamun Head Fetches £4.7m Despite Egypt Officials’ Outrage
July 5, 2019
