IN THE latest twist in the increasingly bizarre tale of two bronze antiques claimed by China, a Chinese collector announced yesterday that he was the mystery bidder who won the high-profile auction for the looted treasure but, as a patriot, he said he had no intention of paying for them.
The two sculptures of the heads of a rat and a rabbit, were taken from the emperor’s Summer Palace during the Second Opium War in 1860 and ended up in the estate of the designer Yves Saint-Laurent.
The astrological symbols sold for €15.7 million each.
Cai Mingchao, a well-known auctioneer in China who made headlines two years ago when he paid €12 million for a Ming dynasty Buddha at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong, said his bidding had been an “act of patriotism”.
“I think any Chinese person would stand up at this time. . . I am making an effort to fulfil my own responsibilities. But I must stress that this money I cannot pay,” he told a news conference.
The bronzes were part of the art collection of late French fashion designer and his partner Pierre Bergé, and were sold by Christie’s in Paris. The Chinese were furious and said that Christie’s would face repercussions over the sale.
The Beijing government formally complained about the sale, demanding that the pieces be returned to China. However, Mr Bergé said he would only exchange the figures for better human rights in China.
The state Administration of Cultural Heritage said last week the auction had “harmed the cultural rights and hurt the feelings of China’s people”.
The bronzes were once part of a fountain that displayed the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac.
Five of the bronzes have been returned to China by the Poly Group – China’s biggest arms seller and the investment arm of the People’s Liberation Army.
Poly recently bought four of the heads at auction and put them on display at a Beijing museum.
Gaming magnate Stanley Ho scooped up another in 2007, a horse head for HK$69.1 million (€7 million), and it is now on display at his Lisboa casino in Macau.
Chinese view the devastation of the palace – the country residence of emperors full of art treasures – as a national humiliation.
