Even though some Chinese lawyers threatened to initiate a lawsuit against the buyer of the Chinese bronze statues looted from the Old Summer Palace, the lots went much higher than estimated in the last day of the three-day auction of the collection from Yves Saint Laurent.

According to Bloomberg, both fetched 14 million Euros which equals roughly 40 million dollars including fees. Both were sold to telephone bidders. (Could they be some patriotic Chinese tycoons?)

My view is that even though there may not be a legal issue with respect to the auction transaction. The bronze statues, due to their significant symbolic meaning (favorite objects of the Emperor QianLong in the Royal Garden which was burned and looted by British and French in 1860), they should be returned to the Chinese people. The buyers must be aware that they would never be proud to exhibit them unless they get the nod from the country of origin. Great collections are not built on greed, but on persistence, patience, discipline and consciousness.

Previous posts:

Follow up — French Judge Rejected the Petition To Block Two Bronze Animal Heads From Yuanming Yuan

The Call at the Last Minute — Christie’s Auctioning Relics From Yuanming Yuan

Why It Matters To Chinese And So What — More About Two Bronze Statues From Yuan Ming Yuan