Fourteen rare Yemeni artifacts, spanning millennia from the 3rd millennium BCE to later centuries BCE, are slated for auction at Apollo Fine Art in London in late September. Abdullah Mohsen, a researcher specializing in tracking Yemeni antiquities, revealed the upcoming sale on his Facebook page. The collection includes statues of bulls, human heads, a marble incense burner shaped like a ibex, gold jewelry, stone and bronze vessels, and funerary items. Mohsen noted that the auction house indicated some items have been cross-referenced with the "Art Loss Register," a database of stolen artworks. However, he stressed that this does not definitively determine their origin or how they left Yemen, emphasizing the need to verify ownership records and provenance. He urged for concerted efforts to reclaim Yemeni artifacts presented at international auctions, asserting that the recovery of even a single artifact is a significant step in safeguarding Yemen's cultural heritage. This development follows Mohsen's recent disclosure of a bronze bust being offered for auction in Tel Aviv later in September. That piece was reportedly part of the collection of art collector Shlomo Moussaieff, which comprises over 60,000 items, including hundreds of Yemeni artifacts. |
