26 February,2009 04:39 PM IST | | AP
Beijing slammed auction house Christie's for selling two imperial bronze sculptures it says should have been returned to China and vowed on Thursday to continue to hunt for and reclaim other similarly looted relics.
The State Administration of Cultural Heritage said the sale of two 18th century bronzes as part of an auction of art works owned by the late designer Yves Saint Laurent yesterday would impact Christie's interests in China.
Despite the objections the administration formally expressed to Christie's, the disputed bronze fountainheads - heads of a rat and a rabbit - were sold for USD 36 million at the auction in Paris to an unidentified telephone bidder or bidders.
"Christie's obstinately went on with the auction of the Summer Palace relics, going against the spirit of relevant international conventions and the international common understanding that cultural relics should be returned to their country of origin," the administration said in a statement.
"This has hurt the cultural rights and interests of the Chinese people and the national sentiment, and will have a serious effect on Christie's development in China," it said.
The statement did not say what if any consequences the sale would have on Christie's operations in China, but in a separate notice it ordered tighter inspections of certificates of origin and other documentation of all cultural relics that Christie's seeks to bring in or out of the country.
