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| Paris Court Refuses to Stop Auction | | A photographer takes a picture of the Chinese bronze rat head and rabbit head sculptures displayed on the preview of the auction of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge's art collection at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, on February 21, 2009. Association for the Protection of the Art of China in Europe president Bernard Gomez submitted an appeal last Thursday to have the sale blocked but the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Paris rejected it. The bronze rat and rabbit heads are part of a zodiacal collection of 12 animals that decorated the palace in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). They were stolen when the palace was ransacked by Anglo-French troops during the Second Opium War in 1860. Five have been returned to China, while the whereabouts of the others are unknown. (Xinhua) |
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