"At the time of Thutmose III, a lot of art was made and many images have been preserved, but this is clearly a monument that was made for a person of wealth, probably someone with influence, a high official," he says. "We see this in the way the image is made, in a style similar to images of kings, which says something about the access this person had to artists and to materials [like] the black granite that was used."
"After the anonymous tip, the dealer voluntarily gave up the statue and an investigation by the Dutch police and inspectorate found that it was likely to have been plundered unlawfully. It will be handed to the Egyptian ambassador in The Hague later this year, respecting a 1970 Unesco convention against the illegal import, export and sale of trafficked cultural property."
The 3,500-year-old stone statue, likely representing an important official from Thutmose III's dynasty, was stolen and illegally exported from Egypt. The statue appeared at the Tefaf Maastricht art fair in 2022 and was identified after an anonymous visitor tipped off authorities. The dealer voluntarily surrendered the piece and Dutch police and the Information and Heritage Inspectorate found evidence it was likely plundered unlawfully. The statue will be returned to the Egyptian ambassador in The Hague later this year in accordance with the 1970 Unesco convention on trafficked cultural property. The sculpture's style and black granite material indicate wealth and high status.
Read at The Art Newspaper - International art news and events
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