Naranjo Stela 30: This stolen Maya sculpture was seized by US Authorities when a crate carrying it broke open in the port of Houston. NEW CASE STUDY: https://traffickingculture.org/encyclopedia/case-studies/naranjo-stela-30/

Photo: before and after trafficking. The sculpture was mutilated and broken into pieces to aid in smuggling.

#artcrime #archaeology #mesoamerica #arthistory

"...Mallqui warns them that all the mummies are in danger of disappearing, but that they, the children could prevent this. This is how they start on a trip where they visit Cusco, in the time of the Incas, and to meet the Lord of Sipán, an important Moche leader on the north coast of Peru, and, just maybe to save the Mummies!"

yesss #archaeology #artcrime

Read that all snakes have teeth, even if they don’t have venomous fangs, and felt the spirit move me to capture such beauty on paper.
.
#art #ink #drawing #artcrime #snake #snaketeeth

"The Dorak Affair": the 56-year-old Antiquities true crime book that you won't be able to put down. Trust me, buy this book on the cheap and settle in for a good read. A no spoilers review: https://www.anonymousswisscollector.com/2020/10/the-dorak-affair-by-kenneth-pearson-patricia-connor-review.html

Thanks @joeroe for reminding me of it!

#archaeology #artcrime #heritage #turkey #bookreview #histodons

Archaeologists: do you know of an antiquities looting/trafficking case that belongs in the Trafficking Culture Encyclopedia? A case from your region that should be up with the other 150+ cases on the site? Let me know! The site skews heavily toward Latin America because *I* skew toward Latin America. The Trafficking Culture site is well used by scholars, students, and others: I want good case study representation on there. See: https://traffickingculture.org/encyclopedia/case-studies/all/

#archaeology #artcrime @archaeodons

Did you know the Trafficking Culture Encyclopedia houses over 140 fully researched case studies of Antiquities Trafficking from around the world? Have a look: https://traffickingculture.org/encyclopedia/case-studies/all/

#artcrime #arthistory #heritage #archaeology #museums

Finally: I see reporting that says that the items stolen from the BM are possibly worth "tens of millions of pounds". I find that to be unlikely:

1. Most Roman etc gems on the market are in the few thousand range. Just because a gem is in the BM doesn't mean it is valuable.

2. A piece stolen from a museum has an actual value of zero. NO ONE wants to buy something stolen from a museum. They only have value if the BM is the one selling them.

/7
#archaeology #artcrime #museum #museums #artlaw

Jobs, conferences, and opportunities in art crime research, it's this week's Art Crime Research Opportunities list. Several amazingly cool job opportunities in this one: https://www.anonymousswisscollector.com/2023/08/art-crime-research-opportunities-23-august-2023.html

#artcrime #archaeology #arthistory #artlaw #heritage #jobs

This isn't me saying the BM acted right (or wrong)...I/we don't know what they did behind the scenes. I'm just not surprised.

I'm not surprised by any of this. I'm not surprised that an employee was able to steal things. I am not surprised by the kind of things that were stolen. I am not surprised if it turns out the museum response was inadequate and under-the-ruggy. It's bad this happened, but nothing about it is surprising to me.

/6
#archaeology #artcrime #museum #museums @artcrime

A lot of museum security depends on people just not wanting to steal stuff (or being scared to). When someone wants to steal stuff, well...yeah. They do. Detecting a white collar, insider thief is super hard.

What about this reporting that the museum was warned about the thefts years ago and did nothing?

Well, first, we don't know yet that they did nothing. Speculation. But also I'm not finding this surprising either, why? 4/

#archaeology #artcrime #museum #museums @artcrime

In many ways, a museum employee is the most likely person to steal from a museum. They have access and opportunity and insider knowledge. Museums all know this, me saying this isn't controversial, and many museums have measures in place to try to prevent things walking out with employees. However, a motivated person with insider information can find ways to steal from museums, and they do. 3/

#archaeology #artcrime #museum #museums @artcrime

My reaction seems to be that I am a lot less surprised by this than the public and media, especially by the stripped down version of what is being reported. Look, people in a position of trust steal stuff, profiting from the trust of their reputation and position. This is classic, definitional white collar crime. It is upsetting because it is an abuse of our trust. 2/

#archaeology #artcrime #museum #museums @artcrime

Some thoughts on the British Museum theft: first, I didn't talk to any of the (many) journalists who emailed me about it, partially because I was boarding a long haul flight. Mostly this was because last week there was not enough info to comment, and only enough info to speculate wildly. I'm not up for speculating wildly without facts. I can, however, now speak generally about a few things: 1/
#archaeology #artcrime #museum #museums @artcrime

Like "finding your local museum has just bought the Arch of Titus" (Coggins 1969). That's how we felt when a Paris auction house tried selling a stolen Maya sculpture in 2019. The story of Piedras Negras Stela 9 is a NEW CASE STUDY on the Trafficking Culture website: https://traffickingculture.org/encyclopedia/case-studies/piedras-negras-stela-9/
#archaeology @artcrime #artcrime #mesoamerica #arthistory #archeology

Also, if anyone knows another way to access the Houston Post from the late 1960s please do let me know. #academia #archaeology #artcrime #research

Anyone here affiliated with Rice University and up for helping me find some info about a stolen ancient Maya sculpture? I'm trying to get access to four articles that were published in the Houston Post in 1968 and 1969, I have the exact dates, but I can't seem to find any open online repository of the now-defunct Post. However, Rice seems to have something available online for affiliates: https://libanswers.rice.edu/faq/23143

Have a moment to take a look?
#academia #archaeology #artcrime #research

Oh whoa, the weird experience of looking something up online to find the most accessible reference is by...ME. I have *no memory* of writing in this 2014 piece about the looting of Stela 1 from the Maya site of La Amelia. I don't remember the story, the words, nothing. Does this mean I'm officially mid career if I can't remember my early career? #academia #academicchatter #Mesoamerica #ArtCrime
https://traffickingculture.org/encyclopedia/case-studies/la-amelia-stela-1/

"Gone" Evocative drawing ofPiedras Negras Stela 3 by Ian Graham. The stela originally recorded information about Lady K'atun, "Ruler 3" and their daughter "Precious Turtle". Looters sawed it into pieces in the 60s, ditched the central figure, and smuggled the rest to the USA. The Brooklyn Museum bought the blue bit but eventually returned them to Guatemala in the70s. The orange parts are "Gone". Forever? Maybe. We had them, they were stolen, now they are gone. #artcrime @artcrime #archaeology

Quite a surprise when I was reading this article and saw myself featured in it! 😳 Or at least my tweet is. #artcrime #archaeology

https://www.timesofisrael.com/turkey-seeks-severed-head-of-stolen-ancient-statue-from-danish-museum/

Art dealer sentenced to more than two years for fake Andy Warhol paintings https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/may/31/art-dealer-sentenced-two-years-fake-andy-warhol-paintings Daniel Elie Bouaziz, 69, was sentenced in Fort Pierce federal court, according to court records. He pleaded guilty in February to a single count of money laundering, while prosecutors agreed to drop 16 other counts related to fraud and embezzlement. Bouaziz was fined $15,000, and a restitution hearing is scheduled for 16 August. #fakeart #artcrime (Perhaps there is also a #moralrights dimension to this matter).