Tutankhamun sculpture's UK auction sparks Egyptian outcryA 3,000-year-old stone sculpture of Tutankhamun is to be auctioned on July 4 by Christie's in London despite Egypt's objectionsLONDON: A 3,000-year-old head sculpture of an eternally-young Tutankhamun -- the Egyptian pharaoh known as King Tut -- goes under the hammer this week in London despite an outcry from Cairo. But Egyptian authorities overseeing the north African country's unparalleled collection of antiquities want to see the auction halted and the treasure returned. "The Egyptian embassy in London requested the British foreign affairs ministry and the auction hall to stop the sale," Egypt's foreign ministry said on June 10. The French-owned British auction house explained that the current lot was acquired by Resandro from a Munich-based dealer in 1985. The ministry also asked the UN cultural body Unesco to halt Christie's sale.

Source: Bangkok Post July 01, 2019 03:46 UTC