Egypt May demand return of King Tut statue

A 3,000-year-old bust of Tutankhamun from a private collection is scheduled to be sold by Christie's on July 4. The quartzite statue, which portrays the boy king as Amun, is probably one of a series that was erected in the temple of Karnak. It is being suggested that its sale could generate at least 4 million pounds (more than $5 million), but there is a snag, some of the collecting history seems difficult to document (Hatem Maher, 'Egypt can demand return of King Tut statue going up for auction: Former antiquities chief', ABC News Jun 9, 2019).

 Egypt has the right to demand the repatriation of a stone sculpture of King Tutankhamun before it goes up for auction at Christie's in London next month, according to the country’s former antiquities chief. Zahi Hawass, a renowned Egyptian archaeologist, has spearheaded numerous campaigns to repatriate Egyptian artifacts, and alleges the statue was stolen. "It seems that this sculpture was looted from [Luxor's] Karnak Temple. Christie's would not have any proof whatsoever of its ownership,” Hawass told ABC News. Christie’s did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment. [...]

It is reported that the Egyptian Ministry of State Antiquities has begun checking the background to the planned sale and if necessary will take "the required legal measures in coordination with the foreign ministry”. Shaaban Abdel-Gawad, head of the repatriation department, said in a statement last week that they would "never allow anyone to sell any ancient Egyptian artifact."

Egypt introduced a law in 1983 to regulate the ownership of Egyptian antiquities, saying any ancient artifacts discovered in the country are considered state properties "with the exception of antiquities whose ownership or possession was already established at the time this law came into effect." Hawass believes that regardless of any laws, Egypt has an "ethical right" to recover the Tutankhamun bust. "This piece was smuggled out of the country and Christie's cannot prove otherwise. It's totally Egypt's right," he said.