The Medici conspiracy : the illicit journey of looted antiquities, from Italy's tomb raiders to the world's greatest museums (Q63981173)
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book, non-fiction
- The Medici conspiracy
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | The Medici conspiracy : the illicit journey of looted antiquities, from Italy's tomb raiders to the world's greatest museums |
book, non-fiction |
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Statements
The Medici conspiracy : the illicit journey of looted antiquities, from Italy's tomb raiders to the world's greatest museums (English)
1 reference
Cecilia Todeschini
0 references
1 reference
Making sense of a lengthy catalogue of legal, artistic and forensic documentation, the authors meticulously map out Medici's underground network of middlemen and tombaroli , or tomb robbers, and link them to corrupt dealers such as Robin Symes as well as to established cultural institutions including Sotheby's, the John Paul Getty Museum and the Met—asserting that Medici supplied most, if not all, of the major collections of classical antiquities that have been established since WWII. (English)
1 reference
Hugh Eakin
Medici had been one of the biggest suppliers to leading international dealers in the antiquities trade since the late 1960s, and here was systematic visual documentation showing that objects he passed on derived from illicit digs in Italy. Italian prosecutors and police spent the next decade tracing as many of the objects as they could through the antiquities market and, when possible, to museum collections. In December 2004, Medici was convicted of trafficking in illegal antiquities and fined ten million euros—the largest penalty ever handed out in an Italian antiquities case. The 659-page judgment, which is now under appeal, presents an impressive body of evidence that Medici had for years been running, with several other dealers, a huge illegal antiquities ring. And it documents, irrefutably, that a number of the best objects he passed on to the market ended up in leading collections and museums. This extensive paper trail provides the basis for the current case against True and Hecht, and for the various claims against the Getty, the Met, and other institutions. (English)