Germany hands back Greek marble
Germany’s university of Heidelberg’s decision to ceremoniously hand over a 10cm fragment of a marble frieze to the Greek minister …
Germany's university of Heidelberg's decision to ceremoniously hand over a 10cm fragment of a marble frieze to the Greek minister of culture George Voulgarakis last month, could have major implications for collections of Greek marbles held in Britain and the rest of Europe.
Anthony Snodgrass, the chairman of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles said he was 'delighted', and told Museums Journal: 'The piece may be small, but its significance is huge.'The marble shows a beautifully-carved relief of a man's foot and is part of a slab from the North Frieze of the Parthenon. It is an exact fit with the remainder of the slab, which is in Athens.
The decision to hand back the frieze was taken by academics at the university who considered the artistic, rather than the political, merits of the handover - the first significant return of any Parthenon fragments to Greece for 200 years. 'The decision was made by the people that know the facts, not those with a political agenda,' said Snodgrass.
The British Museum had been trying to persuade the university to call off the deal. Heidelberg will receive the head of a small statue from a Greek collection in return for the fragment.
The case will reopen the thorny issue of the British Museum's ownership of the Elgin Marbles and the status of other Greek artefacts held in museums in France, Italy, Denmark and elsewhere. Some of these museums have been reluctant to return their pieces to Greece, but have indicated a willingness to do so if the Elgin Marbles are returned. 'This sets a precedent,' Snodgrass said. 'Heidelberg didn't wait for the British Museum to intervene. Now other museums with Parthenon relics realise that if they want to act alone, they can.'
Paul Stump
See feature on the New Acropolis Museum
Anthony Snodgrass, the chairman of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles said he was 'delighted', and told Museums Journal: 'The piece may be small, but its significance is huge.'The marble shows a beautifully-carved relief of a man's foot and is part of a slab from the North Frieze of the Parthenon. It is an exact fit with the remainder of the slab, which is in Athens.
The decision to hand back the frieze was taken by academics at the university who considered the artistic, rather than the political, merits of the handover - the first significant return of any Parthenon fragments to Greece for 200 years. 'The decision was made by the people that know the facts, not those with a political agenda,' said Snodgrass.
The British Museum had been trying to persuade the university to call off the deal. Heidelberg will receive the head of a small statue from a Greek collection in return for the fragment.
The case will reopen the thorny issue of the British Museum's ownership of the Elgin Marbles and the status of other Greek artefacts held in museums in France, Italy, Denmark and elsewhere. Some of these museums have been reluctant to return their pieces to Greece, but have indicated a willingness to do so if the Elgin Marbles are returned. 'This sets a precedent,' Snodgrass said. 'Heidelberg didn't wait for the British Museum to intervene. Now other museums with Parthenon relics realise that if they want to act alone, they can.'
Paul Stump
See feature on the New Acropolis Museum