Persepolis Relief
Object or Group Name
Persepolis Relief
Case Summary
This eight-inch-square piece of carved limestone was part of a long line of soldiers depicted on a balustrade on the central building at Persepolis, the ancient capital of the Achaemenid dynasty dating to the 5th century B.C.E. and a world heritage site since 1979. UNESCO describes is as "among the world’s greatest archaeological sites."
The relief was intact when excavations began at the site in 1931, but it was stolen sometime in 1935, during Oriental Institute of Chicago excavations. It first appeared on display as part of the collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, which had acquired it by donation in 1950 or 1951.
The relief was stolen from the museum in 2011, and later recovered. London Antiquities dealers Rupert Wace and Sam Fogg acquired it from the Montreal MFA’s insurance company and offered it for sale at TEFAF in New York in October 2017, valued at USD $1,200,000.
The work was seized by the Manhattan DA's Office based upon evidence that it had been stolen from Iran in the 1930s.
The relief was intact when excavations began at the site in 1931, but it was stolen sometime in 1935, during Oriental Institute of Chicago excavations. It first appeared on display as part of the collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, which had acquired it by donation in 1950 or 1951.
The relief was stolen from the museum in 2011, and later recovered. London Antiquities dealers Rupert Wace and Sam Fogg acquired it from the Montreal MFA’s insurance company and offered it for sale at TEFAF in New York in October 2017, valued at USD $1,200,000.
The work was seized by the Manhattan DA's Office based upon evidence that it had been stolen from Iran in the 1930s.
Number of Objects
1
Object Type
Fragment
Architecture – antefixes, doors, sconces, friezes
Culture
Persian
Auction House
TEFAF
Private Collector
Frederick Cleveland Morgan
Museum Name
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Receiving Country
Iran
Sources
Fight to Return Plundered Persian Limestone Relief
https://www.artandiplawfirm.com/right-for-plundered-persian-relief/
U.S. court suspends auction of ancient Iranian relief
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/417992/U-S-court-suspends-auction-of-ancient-Iranian-relief
Police Seize a $1.2 Million Ancient Persian Sculpture at the Ritzy TEFAF New York Art Fair
https://news.artnet.com/market/relief-seized-tefaf-new-york-1132610
No Country for Old Achaemenids
Persepolis Stone Fragment Returns to Iran After Series of Bizarre Events
https://culturalpropertynews.org/no-country-for-old-achaemenids/
Persepolis Stone Fragment Returns to Iran After Series of Bizarre Events
https://culturalpropertynews.org/no-country-for-old-achaemenids/
Documents
MOLA Contributor(s)
Jason Felch
Peer Reviewed By
Damien Huffer
Citation
“Persepolis Relief,” Museum of Looted Antiquities, accessed November 3, 2024, https://mola.omeka.net/items/show/1258.