Guennol Stargazer

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Guennol Stargazer
LocationPrivate collection

The Guennol Stargazer is a nine-inch, 6,000-year-old marble idol. [1] [2]

Contents

Subject matter

The statue depicts a nude human figure, referred to as a "stargazer" as the figure appears to look upward. [3] [4] [5] Approximately fifteen intact stargazer statues exist, along with fragments of other stargazer figures. Like other stargazer figures, Guennol Stargazer has a mark on its neck indicating it may have been ritually "killed" before it was buried. [5]

History

The sculpture was likely produced between 4800 and 4100 BCE in what is today Manisa Province in Turkey. [6] The piece was in the collection of Alastair and Edith Martin. [5] The couple purchased the piece from an art dealer, J.J. Klejman, [7] in 1961. [8] How Klejman came to own the sculpture has not been established. [7] Klejman was referred to by former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Thomas Hoving, as one of his "favorite dealer-smugglers". [6] Klejman was implicated in the museum's purchase of the Lydian Hoard, which the museum acquired despite awareness that the artifacts were stolen. [9]

Ownership of the sculpture eventually passed from the Martins to their son, Robin Martin, and later to a gallery. [7] Michael Steinhardt, an American hedge fund manager, purchased the idol for $1.5 million in 1993. [7] The figure was displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, on loan, at times between 1966 and 1993, [5] and was exhibited in the museum again from 1999 to 2007. [7]

Repatriation dispute

The Guennol Stargazer was placed for sale at auction by its owner, Michael Steinhardt, at Christie's in 2017. [6] Despite attempts to halt the sale by the Turkish government, including the filing of a suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Steinhardt and Christie's, the auction occurred, and the sculpture sold for $14.4 million. [8] [10] The buyer then rescinded their offer, and Christie's placed the statue in storage in a vault operated by the auction house. [5]

In 2021, U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan presided over a bench trial, Republic of Turkey v. Christie’s, Inc., concerning the dispute over the ownership of the Guennol Stargazer. [6] Nathan rejected Turkey's ownership claim, which had been made pursuant to a 1906 Ottoman decree concerning the ownership of antiquities excavated in Turkey. [6] Nathan found that Turkey had failed to show, by a preponderance of the evidence, [8] that the Guennol Stargazer, which had been exhibited in the United States for decades, had been excavated after 1906. [6] Nathan also held that Turkey's claim was in any case barred by laches, since it had waited too long to pursue its claim. [6] [11] This ruling was later upheld by Rosemary S. Pooler of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in March 2023. [12]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "The Guennol Stargazer — an iconic work of art from the 3rd millennium BC". Christie's. 5 April 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  2. ↑ Christie's (April 7, 2017). "The Guennol Stargazer — Art From the 3rd Millennium BC". YouTube. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  3. ↑ Moore, Susan (February 2014). "Idol pursuits". Apollo. 179 (617). Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  4. ↑ "The Guennol Stargazer — an iconic work of art from the 3rd millennium BC". Robb Report . 1 April 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Moynihan, Colin (9 April 2021). "Turkey Fights for Return of a Work It Says Was Looted". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Moynihan, Colin (8 September 2021). "Judge Rejects Turkey's Claim That Ancient Sculpture Was Looted". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Ludel, Wallace (8 September 2021). "Stargazer idol will not be returned to Turkey, New York federal judge rules". The Art Newspaper. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 Who Owns the Guennol Stargazer? How a Turkish work of art from the 3rd millennium B.C.E. ended up in the Southern District of New York, ArcGIS (September 29, 2021).
  9. ↑ Honan, William H. (20 July 1990). "Judge Clears Way for Trial Over Turkish Art at Met". The New York Times.
  10. ↑ Packard, Cassie (12 October 2021). "A Turkish Idol Will Not Be Repatriated, New York Judge Rules". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  11. ↑ Republic of Turkey v. Christie's, Inc. (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 7, 2021).
  12. ↑ Stempel, Jonathan (8 March 2023). "Turkey cannot recover ancient 'Stargazer' idol from Christie's -U.S. court". Reuters. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
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