An Egyptian statue resembling the pharaoh Tutankhamun has been sold for £4.7 million ($5.97 million) at a London auction, despite protests from Cairo that the relic may have been stolen
was sold by Christie's, the auction house said on Thursday. The identity of the buyer was not revealed.
"Once again, we will not be negligent or allow anybody to sell any Egyptian artifact whatsoever," a statement from Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities released in June read. The British auction house moved to assuage worries over the ownership of the statue, insisting that"while ancient objects by their nature cannot be traced over millennia, Christie's has clearly carried out extensive due diligence verifying the provenance and legal title of this object.""Christie's would not and do not sell any work where there isn't clear title of ownership and a thorough understanding of modern provenance," it added in a statement to CNN.
"This is a black day for archaeology, because Tutankhamun is the king of the kings," said Zahi Hawass, Egypt's former Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs."The whole world has to be angry, because there is no ethics here."Why do so many Egyptian statues have broken noses?The controversy is the latest attempt in Egypt's ongoing struggle to prevent the sale of stolen artifacts and bring them back to the country.
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