Cypriot antiquities: Severis - salvage or sale?

Public and private Greek Cypriot collecting of looted antiquities has been defended as 'rescue', 'salvation' (Anagnostopoulou, 2000b: 25; 37), 'salvage' (Karageorghis, 2000b: 217), a way 'to curb the illegal exports of antiquities' (Hadjiprodromou, 2000: 141). But the sale and export of antiquities from the Severis Collection may undermine that defence.

Leto Severis's collection is in Cyprus; but some of its artefacts have been sold to antiquities dealer Eftis Paraskevaides, in Britain, and he has put them up for sale online - on either ArtAncient or BidAncient - on a first-come-first-served basis.

As I explained in an earlier post on collecting looted antiquities,

the Department of Antiquities at that time [1963/1964] decided to follow a policy of "silent accord", allowing Cypriots who had access to the Turkish enclaves to buy the "spoils" of looting so that these should remain in the country and not be exported abroad.

And as I mentioned in a previous post on large private collections,

in his catalogue of 257 artefacts in the Severis Collection (Karageorghis, 1999a), [then Greek Cypriot antiquities director Vassos] Karageorghis stated that the whole collection of more than 2,500 artefacts 'was formed mainly during the.... "silent accord"' (1999b: 17).

Now, I do not know whether the antiquities for sale on Paraskevaides's websites are ones Severis collected before 1963-1964. I am not accusing Paraskevaides of trading in illicit antiquities.

Marc Fehlmann worked out that '98.4% of the objects' in the Severis Collection 'have no provenance or previous owner at all'; Paraskevaides may have bought objects from the other 1.6%. But if he did, he chose to exclude the evidence of the artefacts' origins and previous ownerships.

The first Paraskevaides antiquity from the Severis Collection is for sale on ArtAncient (see fig. 1); the second and third are for sale on BidAncient (see figs. 2 and 3). The first, a "Cypriot Bronze age vessel", was 'Ex English Private Collection. Ex Christies London 2000. Ex. Leto Severis Collection, inventory number on the underside of the bowl.'

The second, an "Early Iron Age Cypriot Peace Bowl", was 'from the collection of Mrs Lito Severis.... English private collection; ex Christie's UK'. And the third, a "Large Early Bronze Age Burnished Olpe Jug", 'was from the collection of Mrs Lito Severis - no. LS 1061 written on the base.... English private collection; ex Christie's UK - lot 251 25 October 2007.'

There was no information about who found the objects where; no information suggested Severis bought any of the three from another collector. Apparently, when the objects first came to public knowledge, they were already in Severis's collection. That suggests that they had had no previous owners, and that they may have been looted.

Last year, informed by Paul Barford, David Gill listed four antiquities for sale on Eftis Paraskevaides's BidAncient website, which were 'from the collection of Mrs Lito Severis'. Now, the first three say only

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The product page you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.

Not even a Google cache copy is available.

At least David Gill's descriptions remain:

* jug. $590. Lable: LS N140. Stated to be from an English private collection: Christie's (King Street), October 25, 2007, lot 251.
* olpe. $220. Stated to be from an English private collection: Christie's (King Street), October 25, 2007, lot 251.
* olpe. $250. LS 2001. Stated to be from an English private collection: Christie's (King Street), October 25, 2007, lot 251.

(The fourth antiquity David Gill listed was the third one I discussed above, an 'olpe. $580. Label LS 1061. Stated to be from an English private collection: Christie's (King Street), October 25, 2007, lot 251.')

None of the three antiquities David Gill listed had any information about their discovery, or previous owners, either. Again, that suggests that those artefacts may have been looted. And if they were looted, their sale would undermine the defence for legalising collecting looted antiquities. The antiquities collectors would not have 'discharge[d] their duty to the homeland' (Karageorghis, 2000: 218).

Archaeologists let private collectors buy looted antiquities to "rescue", to "salvage" them for Cyprus. If those private collectors sold them abroad, to a private dealer, for that dealer to sell on to anyone, the private collectors would have betrayed the principles of the silent accord; they would have been in the same business that the archaeologists entrusted them to help to stop. The private collectors would not have "rescued" or "salvaged" anything [the sold antiquities].

They would have feigned patriotism to get the opportunity to collect looted antiquities, and funded the looting of Cypriot cultural heritage with their purchases, then profited from the looted antiquities' sale (making a greater profit, because the Department of Antiquities had legalised their collections); they would also have denied other Cypriots access to their own inheritance.

And the entire process would have been enabled by the policy of the Department of Antiquities.

[I edited this post on the 10th of July 2009: I crossed-out judgemental language.]


Fig. 1: "Cypriot Bronze age vessel 2300 BC"

Ancient Cypriot Early Bronze Age red burnished ware hemispherical bowl, dating to approximately 2300 BC.

A striking piece of ancient Cypriot art, the heavy hand-made ceramic with perforated lug handle. Such pottery is characteristic of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, whose bronze age potters, widely believed to be female, produced some of the most imaginative ceramics of antiquity.

Height: 4 inches.

Diameter: 6 1/4 inches.

Condition: Unrestored.

Provenance: Ex English Private Collection. Ex Christies London 2000. Ex. Leto Severis Collection, inventory number on the underside of the bowl. Severis was prolific collector of Cypriot antiquities whose collection numbered in the thousands.

$600.00

Fig. 2: "Early Iron Age Cypriot Peace Bowl 1000 BC"

You are considering a very attractive and rare Cypriot early Iron age round based Chalice or Bowl dating to around 1000 BC.

This outstanding iron age ceramic has an everted round mouth and a circular footbase.

Internally the vessel is painted with olive branches symbolizing Victory; the rim is also painted in black.

The Cypriot ancient ceramics showed immense diversity and style; their potters were probably the best in the world at that time.

This ancient ceramic originates from the collection of Mrs Lito Severis. Lito Severis was an amateur archaeologist and a prolific writer of childrens' books.

A charming momento from early antiquity.

English private collection; ex Christie's UK - lot 251 25 October 2007.

Intact; minor restoration to lip.

Height: 2 1/8 inches.

Diameter: 3 7/8 inches.

For similar example please see "Art Of Ancient Cyprus" by the well known Anthropologist and Author, Desmond Morris.

We only sell genuine guaranteed ancient art. If an expert or a TL test disputes this ceramic's authenticity, we will return your money and the cost of any TL test.





Our Price: $165.00

Fig. 3: "Large Early Bronze Age Burnished Olpe Jug 1800 BC: Ex Severis Ex Christies UK"

You are considering a large and very attractive Cypriot early bronze age burnished Jug with a stylized looped handle, dating to around 1800 BC.

This outstanding bronze age ceramic has an everted round mouth and a circular base which would have once stood in the sand; may well have served in a Temple as a votive vessel.

The Cypriot bronze age ceramics showed immense diversity and style; their potters were probably the best in the world at that time.

This ancient ceramic originates from the collection of Mrs Lito Severis - no. LS 1061 written on the base. Lito Severis was an amateur archaeologist and a prolific writer of childrens' books.

A charming momento from early antiquity.

English private collection; ex Christie's UK - lot 251 25 October 2007.

Intact; minor restoration to lip.

Height: 7 1/2 inches.

Diameter: 5 inches.

For similar example please see "Art Of Ancient Cyprus" by the well known Anthropologist and Author, Desmond Morris.

We only sell genuine guaranteed ancient art. If an expert or a TL test disputes this ceramic's authenticity, we will return your money and the cost of any TL test.





Our Price: $400.00

Anagnostopoulou, M. 2000: "The looting of Cyprus". In CPCHC (Committee for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage of Cyprus), (Ed.). Cyprus: A civilization plundered, 22-41. Athens: The Hellenic Parliament.

Hadjiprodromou, C. 2000: "The looting of private collections". In CPCHC (Committee for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage of Cyprus), (Ed.). Cyprus: A civilization plundered, 141-144. Athens: The Hellenic Parliament.

Karageorghis, V, (Ed.). 1999a: Ancient Cypriote art in the Severis Collection. Athens: Costakis and Leto Severis Foundation.

Karageorghis, V. 1999b: "The Severis Collection of Cypriote antiquities". In Karageorghis, V, (Ed.). Ancient Cypriote art in the Severis Collection, 17-18. Athens: Costakis and Leto Severis Foundation.

Karageorghis, V. 2000: "The repatriation of Cypriot antiquities (1974-1997)". In CPCHC (Committee for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage of Cyprus), (Ed.). Cyprus: A civilization plundered, 214-221. Athens: The Hellenic Parliament.