Roman statue sold at Sotheby's for €270k despite heritage body's ownership claim

A Roman statue excavated at Russborough House in the 1980s and sold by two workers fetched nearly €270,000 at Sotheby's, despite An Taisce's objection that it may rightfully belong to the National Gallery. The sale proceeds amid a dispute over provenance and legal ownership, with the heritage body asserting the artwork was removed improperly. The outcome could set a precedent for repatriation claims on privately sold cultural artifacts.

AI disclosure: Model-written summary of the source, not a verified fact. Check the sources. How Mosaic works