被盜石碑的漫漫歸鄉路

被盜石碑的漫漫歸鄉路

The itinerary of a stolen stele

這是關於一塊公元前四世紀希臘墓碑的故事。

2017年，一家國際拍賣行準備出售這件古董，一位專家憑藉有力的證據，警告眾人其來源可疑，但始終沒能將其從拍賣目錄上撤銷。

經過一年多的時間，費盡周折，這塊墓碑才最終被交還給希臘有關部門。

克裡斯託斯·西羅吉安尼斯（Christos Tsirogiannis）

丹麥奧胡斯大學奧胡斯高級研究院法醫考古學家和副教授

合著《販運文化：全球非法文物市場研究的新方向》

Christos Tsirogiannis Forensic archaeologist and Associate Professor at the Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Aarhus, Denmark. He is co-author of the 2019 book, Trafficking Culture: New Directions in Researching the Global Market in Illicit Antiquities.

2017年5月，國際拍賣行蘇富比（Sotheby's）為一個月後將在倫敦舉辦的一次古董拍賣發布了線上拍品目錄。其中包含一塊希臘大理石墓碑（立式石板）的上半部分，飾有花狀平紋，從殘存的銘文中還可以辨認出一個希臘男性名字的起首部分（ΕΣΤΙ [ΑΙΟΣ]）。

這塊石碑的歷史可以追溯到公元前四世紀中葉，估價在六萬至九萬英鎊之間，其拍賣委託方的姓名沒有披露。蘇富比為這塊石碑標明的「出處」是：「約翰·休伊特（John Hewett），肯特郡伯格農場，20世紀60年代」。目錄中的一條注釋提到，石碑源自希臘，具體地點是雅典附近的阿提卡地區。

突襲弄虛作假的交易商

1995至2006年，打擊非法販運文物的工作取得重大進展，警方對文物販子賈科莫·梅迪奇（Giacomo Medici）、吉安弗蘭科·貝奇納（Gianfranco Becchina）、羅賓·西姆斯（Robin Symes）和克裡斯託·米歇裡德斯（Christos Michaelides）等人的住所進行了一系列突襲。

我本人作為一名考古學家，參加了最後一次突襲行動。警方沒收了臭名昭著的義大利文物販子貝奇納搜集的照片和文獻檔案，我從其中的幾幅寶麗來照片和專業圖像中認出了這塊石碑。貝奇納後來因參與非法文物交易被定罪。

由此，一項持續多年的漫長工作開始了——發現文物，收集證據，重新確定其真實來源，通知有關當局，最終促成被盜文物返回家園。為便於發現市場上流通的文物、助力文物被送還本國，並對涉嫌販運的當事方提出起訴，官方允許我查閱所有以上三類檔案和其他一些資料。

貝奇納檔案（包括那幾張關於石碑的照片）專門被用來調查貝奇納與已故的希臘裔義大利非法文物交易商安東尼奧·薩沃卡（Antonio Savoca）之間的交易。從薩沃卡的寶麗來照片上可以看到尚未清理的石碑，表面依然覆蓋著一層土垢，新近的斷裂痕跡在大理石上清晰可見。

約墓碑被發現時的相關資料。

有幾張照片顯示，石碑沒有得到妥善保管。其中一張照片是從石碑正面拍攝的，可以看到石碑所在的倉庫裡堆滿了其他沒有清理的文物，有一些就斜靠在窗戶和幾根金屬管上。

隱匿真實來源

貝奇納檔案中的文件為確定石碑的真實來源提供了更多線索。至少在1978至1990年，石碑一直保存在貝奇納手中，由他和瑞士交易商兼收藏家喬治·奧爾蒂斯（George Ortiz）共同所有。蘇富比2017年目錄的「出處」部分對於貝奇納、薩沃卡和奧爾蒂斯隻字未提。與此相對地，沒有任何證據可以表明「肯特郡伯格農場的約翰·休伊特」曾經擁有過這件古董，特別是在「20世紀60年代」，而且也無從查證薩沃卡曾經為了古董事宜與他有過任何來往。

倫敦蘇富比拍賣行的網頁截圖。

發現這塊石碑之後，我在2017年6月8日通知了國際刑事警察組織（國際刑警組織）、倫敦警察廳藝術和文物科，以及希臘警方的藝術專案組，並向他們提供了所有相關照片和文獻證據。英國警方告訴我，沒有充足的理由扣押這件物品並開展刑事調查，蘇富比則是嚴詞反駁了我的指控。希臘警方藝術專案組僅通知我已將此案轉交希臘文化部，但後者從未聯繫過我。

就在拍賣開始前數天，考古學家瑪麗安·莫德林格（Marianne M dlinger）將這件事連同所有相關證據，統統發布在了歐洲考古學家協會（文化材料非法貿易委員會）的網站上。考古學家戴維·吉爾（David Gill）和尼爾·布羅迪（Neil Brodie）也分別在各自的博客中提到了這件事（《劫掠事件》和《大規模毀滅性市場》）。

拍賣當天（6月12日），自由撰稿人霍華德·斯溫斯（Howard Swains）告訴我，他參加了蘇富比的拍賣會，看到石碑以48000英鎊的價格「賣給」了一位委託競買人。但蘇富比宣布拍賣結果時，這塊石碑並未出現在售出物品之列。

2017年7月6日，在線雜誌 VICE 的希臘版披露了事件詳情，並且附上了蘇富比在2017年6月23日發表的聲明：「基於我們事前所作的盡職調查，以及古董的已知來源早於所謂由貝奇納擁有的時間，故而我們選擇將這件墓葬石柱保留在出售品目錄當中。（……）在此事中，西羅吉安尼斯先生（本文作者）發布的照片顯示的是安裝在支架上的圓柱。加之古董來源早於照片的拍攝時間，故此，我們不會將這些照片作為質疑委託方是否擁有清晰產權的依據。」

「出於自願的善意」

甚至在相關證據已經廣泛披露之後，蘇富比的回應依然無視了照片上古董保存狀況不佳的情況，也迴避了薩沃卡、貝奇納和奧爾蒂斯等人對於古董來源的介入。

拍賣過後將近11個月，英國《泰晤士報》在2018年5月7日刊登了一篇文章，從更廣泛的角度介紹了我所作的研究。文章還提到了石碑事件，並寫道：「蘇富比表示，近日獲悉有人在2008年提供給拍賣行的古董來源是偽造的，拍賣行正在與倫敦警察廳藝術和文物科合作，『有關各方均同意出於自願的善意，將石碑送交希臘有關部門』。」

蘇富比如何得知古董來源是假的（拍賣行至今不肯公開最終買家的身份）？既然曾經就來源問題進行過「廣泛研究」，使其「確信不存在任何障礙」，又為什麼直到「近日」才發現這一來源是假的？關於這些問題，我們無從得知。當然，所謂「出於自願的善意」只是表象，這個標籤所掩蓋的真相是，在文物的非法來源得到證實之後，他們不得不將其交還。

2018年6月27日，我應希臘檢察官之請，在希臘駐倫敦領事館作證，協助當時尚未了結的法律程序。次日，倫敦警察廳藝術和文物科打電話通知我，石碑目前仍在倫敦，等待歸還希臘。2018年9月8日，希臘文化部宣布石碑回歸。這塊石碑目前陳列在雅典碑刻博物館。

這起案件結局圓滿，但其中涉及數位文物市場上最「聲譽卓著」的參與者，也突顯出所謂的「市場國家」亟須修訂其法律。有關部門今後在行動上必須做到更加及時和協調一致，讓下一塊被盜石碑的歸國之路不再如此漫長。

The itinerary of a stolen stele

This is the story of a Greek funerary stele from the fourth century BC, put up for sale by an international auction house in 2017. The piece was not withdrawn from the auction catalogue even after the warnings of an expert regarding its dubious provenance, backed by solid evidence. It would take over a year and numerous initiatives before the stele was finally returned to the Greek authorities.

Christos Tsirogiannis

Forensic archaeologist and Associate Professor at the Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Aarhus, Denmark. He is co-author of the 2019 book, Trafficking Culture: New Directions in Researching the Global Market in Illicit Antiquities.

In May 2017, Sotheby’s, the international auction house, put an antiquities catalogue online for their auction in London a month later. One of the lots included the upper part of a Greek marble grave stele [an upright slab], decorated with an anthemion [floral design] and a fragmentary inscription bearing the beginning of the Greek male name ΕΣΤΙ [ΑΙΟΣ].

Dating back to the mid-fourth century BC, the stele was estimated at 60,000- 90,000, and its consigner was not named. The 「provenance」 with which Sotheby’s accompanied this stele was: 「John Hewett, Bog Farm, Kent, 1960s」. The Greek origin of the stele – the region of Attica, close to Athens, in particular – was mentioned in a catalogue note.

Raids on dealers

One important leap forward in the fight against illicit trafficking was made between 1995 and 2006, with a series of police raids on the properties of antiquities traffickers Giacomo Medici, Gianfranco Becchina, Robin Symes and Christos Michaelides.

Having participated in the last of these raids as an archaeologist, I identified the stele in several Polaroid and professional images from the photographic and documentary archive confiscated from Becchina, the notorious Italian dealer convicted for his involvement in illicit antiquities.

Thus began the lengthy process to identify, gather the evidence to reconstruct its true provenance, notify the authorities – and finally make it possible for this stolen antiquity to return home. To identify objects in the market, to contribute to their repatriation, and to open new cases against the parties involved in the trafficking, I was given official access to all three archives and others.

The Becchina file – which contained Polaroids of the stele – was dedicated to transactions between Becchina and the late Antonio Savoca, a known Greek-Italian dealer of illicit antiquities. The Savoca Polaroid images depict the stele uncleaned, still covered with soil encrustations, and with recent breaks still visible on its marble surface.

Several Polaroids show that the stele was not properly treated. In one, it is depicted frontally in a warehouse full of other uncleaned antiquities, partly propped against a window and several metal pipes.

Concealing the true provenance

The Becchina archive also includes documents that shed more light on the true provenance of the stele. It was in Becchina’s hands from at least 1978 until 1990, when its ownership appears to be shared between Becchina and George Ortiz, a Swiss dealer and collector. There is no mention of Becchina, Savoca or Ortiz in the 「provenance」 section of Sotheby’s 2017 catalogue. Conversely, there is no proof that a 「John Hewett, Bog Farm」 ever owned this antiquity, especially in the 「1960s」 – or that Savoca was ever associated with him, for any antiquity.

After identifying the stele, I notified the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), Scotland Yard’s Art and Antiques Unit, and the Greek police art squad on 8 June 2017 – supplying them with all the relevant photographic and documentary evidence. The British police informed me that there were insufficient grounds for them to seize the item for a criminal investigation and that Sotheby's had strongly refuted the allegation. The Greek police art squad merely told me that they had forwarded the case to the Greek Ministry of Culture – which never contacted me.

During the few days before the auction, the case with all the evidence appeared on the website of the European Association of Archaeologists (Committee on the Illicit Trade in Cultural Material), posted by the archaeologist Marianne M dlinger. It also appeared on the blogs of archaeologists David Gill (Looting Matters), and Neil Brodie (Market of Mass Destruction).

On the day of the auction (June 12), the freelance journalist Howard Swains informed me that he had attended the Sotheby’s auction and saw that the stele had apparently been 「sold」 to an absentee bidder for 48,000. However, when Sotheby’s announced the results, the stele was not included among the sold items.

On 6 July 2017, the online magazine,VICE, published details of the case in their Greece edition, and included a statement from Sotheby’s, dated 23 June 2017: 「We chose not to withdraw the burial column from sale based on our due diligence before the sale and its known provenance that pre-dates the time it was allegedly in the possession of Becchina. […] In this instance, the photos that Mr. Tsirogiannis [the author] has released, depict the column mounted on a stand. Thus, in combination with our provenance pre-dating the time of those photos, we do not see the photos as a basis to question the clear title of our consignor.」

A 「voluntary goodwill gesture」

Sotheby’s response ignored both the poor condition of the object as depicted in the Polaroids, and the involvement of Savoca, Becchina and Ortiz in its provenance – even after the evidence had been widely published.

Almost eleven months after the auction, the British newspaper The Times, published an article, more broadly about my research, on 7 May 2018. It also referred to the case of the stele, and added: 「Sotheby’s said it had recently learnt that the provenance provided to it in 2008 was false. It said that, working with the Metropolitan Police Art and Antiquities [sic] Unit in London, 『all relevant parties have agreed to convey the stele by way of a voluntary goodwill gesture to the Greek authorities』』』.

No more information was available regarding Sotheby’s discovery that the provenance provided was false (they still protect the final owner’s identity), or why they only found this out 「recently」 despite 「extensive provenance research」 which had made them 「confident」 that 「there was no bar」. Of course, calling it a 「voluntary goodwill gesture」 also mislabels the repatriation of an antiquity that they were forced to return, after evidence demonstrated its illicit origin.

On 27 June 2018, I testified about the case at the Greek Consulate in London, following the invitation of a Greek public prosecutor to assist an ongoing legal procedure. The next day, I was informed by telephone by Scotland Yard’s Art and Antiques Unit that the stele was still in London, awaiting its repatriation to Greece. However, the Greek Ministry of Culture announced the repatriation of the stele on 8 September 2018. It is currently in the Epigraphical Museum in Athens.

This case ended well, but it demonstrates the involvement of some of the most 「reputable」 members of the antiquities market, and underlines the need to update laws in the so-called 「market countries」. In the future, the concerned authorities must be able to act in a more co-ordinated and timely manner, so that the next stolen stele does not take as long to find its way back to its country of origin.

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