The art world is waiting with bated breath for next week's sale of works owned by French fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, but China is fuming about the inclusion of two imperial bronzes. The 18th century Qing dynasty bronzes -- heads of a rabbit and a rat, believed to be part of a collection of 12 inspired by the Chinese zodiac -- are valued at 8-10 million euros (10-12.6 million dollars) each.
But authorities here want the pieces removed before the three-day auction begins on Monday, saying they were looted by British and French troops from the imperial Summer Palace on the outskirts of Beijing nearly 150 years ago. "Auctioning cultural objects looted in war time not only offends the Chinese people and undermines their cultural rights, but also violates relevant international conventions," said foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu.
"We hope relevant parties handle the issue carefully." But Christie's has said it will go ahead with the Paris auction of the two bronzes, which were part of a fountain designed by French Jesuit Michel Benoist for the palace during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1736-95).
China was able to recover five of the fountainheads -- the monkey, buffalo, tiger, horse and pig -- in recent years. The pieces were bought back at auction by the state-owned Poly Group and Macau gaming magnate Stanley Ho. Four of the pieces owned by Poly are on display at a Beijing museum.
The government-linked National Treasures Fund, which has worked with private business people since 2002 to purchase looted art works, recovered another bronze a few years ago with the help of a wealthy businessman.
In this case, it is hoping to use diplomacy. "We want to remind the world that these objects are part of our cultural heritage and must be returned to China," said Niu Xianfeng, deputy director of the fund.
"This could happen as a result of negotiations and co-operation." A group of lawyers, worried that China's wealthy tycoons and state-owned groups will fail to snap up the bronzes, have also launched a campaign to halt the sale of the Chinese items in the collection owned by the late Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge.
"The looting of the Summer Palace is a wound that has never really healed. Selling these objects that were stolen from us is like pouring salt on the wound," said Beijing attorney Liu Yang, who is leading the group's efforts.
But legal obstacles stand in the way of the lawyers' campaign. International law on the illegal sale of art works and other cultural heritage items is not retroactive, and so cannot be applied in this case.
Zong Tianliang, the spokesman for the administration that runs the palace's public parks, said the bronzes were more than simple pieces of art, but rather symbols of the need to protect the country's history. "From its construction to its looting, the Summer Palace is a microcosm of the history of modern China," Zong told AFP.
"When the country is strong, we have been able to build a park here that reflects the ingenuity of the Chinese people. "But when the country is weak, we have suffered invasions at the hands of great foreign powers and the park has been destroyed. In this way, the park itself is the keeper of the destiny of modern China."
For its part, Christie's insists it is doing nothing wrong by selling the relics and, in fact, could help China by giving Chinese interests the opportunity to buy them.
"Christie's supports repatriation of cultural relics to their home country and aids in the process where possible by sourcing and bringing works of art to the auction platform to give buyers a chance to bid for them," it said in a statement in response to foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang's remarks. Christie's also emphasised that the proceeds from the auction would primarily go to charities.
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