Regular Columns www.artcrimeresearch.org 79 O David W. J. Gill Context Matters “Transparency and Good Faith in the Contemporary Antiquities Market” On February 12, 2019 it was announced that Christie’s in London would be returning eight antiquities to Italy. The event was presented as an example of international co-operation to stop the sale of illicit antiquities. However, the case is far more complicated. The Christie’s press release (‘Works of Art returned to Italy in collaboration with the Italian Embassy, London’, February 12, 2019) explained the returned of the pieces as ‘a project of cooperation’. The release H[SODLQHG WKDW WKH LWHPV ｵKDG EHHQ DFTXLUHG LQ WKH SDVW LQ JRRG IDLWKｶ EXW WKDW ｵPRUH UHFHQWO\ LGHQWLｿHG DV KDYLQJ WKH UHTXLUHG YHULｿDEOH WLWOH H[SRUW RU SURYHQDQFH GHWDLOV QHHGHG WR SURFHHG ZLWK D VDOH DQG DV VXFK ZHUH UHWXUQHG YROXQWDULO\ｶ 6WHSKHQ %URRNV 'HSXW\ &KLHI ([HFXWLYH 2൶FHU DW &KULVWLHｶV ZDV TXRWHG ‘Our primary goal today is to return these objects and to raise awareness of how vital it is to have access WR DOO LQIRUPDWLRQ WR FRQWLQXH WR HQVXUH RQO\ OHJLWLPDWH ZRUNV DUH R൵HUHG WR WKH PDUNHW 5HVHDUFK DQG LWV publication is a vital part of our work’. The Returned Items 7KH SUHVV UHOHDVH VXJJHVWV WKDW WKH ZRUN RI LGHQWLｿFDWLRQ ZDV D UHFHQW HYHQW ｵPRUH UHFHQWO\ LGHQWLｿHGｶ ,Q IDFW VRPH RI WKH FRQFHUQV DERXW WKH RULJLQV RI WKH REMHFWV KDG EHHQ UDLVHG QHDUO\ ｿYH \HDUV DJR 6RPH RI WKH HLJKW DQWLTXLWLHV KDYH EHHQ WKH VXEMHFW RI SUHYLRXV FRPPHQW DIWHU WKH\ KDG EHHQ LGHQWLｿHG LQ WKH VDOHV E\ Christos Tsirogiannis. The ninth piece was a 14th century promissory folio from an illuminated manuscript by the Doge Andrea Dandolo and the ducal councillors. This was stolen some 40 years ago from the Archivio di Stato di Venezia.  (WUXVFDQ WHUUDFRWWD DQWHｿ[ 7VLURJLDQQLV KDG LGHQWLｿHG WKH SLHFH IURP WKH 0HGLFL GRVVLHU ZKHQ LW KDG EHHQ R൵HUHG DW DXFWLRQ DW &KULVWLHｶV /RQGRQ RQ $SULO   ORW  ,W KDG EHHQ ZLWKGUDZQ IURP WKH DXFWLRQ DORQJ ZLWK WKUHH RWKHU ORWV 7KH DQWHｿ[ KDG ｿUVW VXUIDFHG DW 6RWKHE\ｶV /RQGRQ RQ 'HFHPEHU  1985 (lot 273). Concerns have been raised about objects surfacing through Sotheby’s in 1985 but this does QRW VHHP WR KDYH DOHUWHG WKRVH LQYROYHG ZLWK WKH GXH GLOLJHQFH SURFHVV <HW WKH VWD൵ DW &KULVWLHｶV VKRXOG KDYH been sensitive to the issues. A Corinthian krater had been seized at Christie’s (New York) in 2009; it had RULJLQDOO\ VXUIDFHG DW 6RWKHE\ｶV /RQGRQ LQ  DQG KDG EHHQ LGHQWLｿHG IURP WKH 0HGLFL 'RVVLHU *LOO 2018b). An Attic bell-krater withdrawn from a sale at Bonham’s (London) in October 2008 had originally surfaced at Sotheby’s (London) in 1985 (Gill 2009b). Two other pieces returned to Italy include an Attic EODFNｿJXUHG DPSKRUD WKDW ZDV UHWXUQHG IURP WKH 5R\DO $WKHQD *DOOHULHV LQ 1HZ <RUN DQG DQ $WWLF EODFN ｿJXUHG DPSKRUD RI 3DQDWKHQDLF VKDSH WKDW KDG IRUPHG SDUW RI WKH FROOHFWLRQ RI 6KHOE\ :KLWH DQG /HRQ /HY\ *LOO E 7KHVH IRXU H[DPSOHV ZRXOG KDYH EHHQ HQRXJK WR DOHUW VWD൵ DW WKH DXFWLRQ KRXVH IRU WKH QHHG WR be extra diligent (see Gill 2017b).