A ruling by the Dutch Court of Appeal upheld an earlier decision to return Ukrainian government artifacts, including valuable gold treasures, which were leased seven years ago by a Dutch museum from Crimea but whose ownership has been disputed due to the Russian annexation of the peninsula. had become.
Art treasures from five Ukrainian museums (including four in Crimea) were borrowed in early 2014 at the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam. Crimea: Gold and the Secrets of the Black Sea For the exhibition entitled. On the other hand, Russia invaded the peninsula in the spring of 2014, so the Dutch museum decided not to return the collection of precious gold pieces a few days before the exhibition closed. The Foundation considered that returning the artifacts to one of the two countries would expose it to the risk of the other’s claim.
Russian Orthodox blessing in Crimea, April 12, 2020.
Photo: AFP
Crimean museums under Russian rule have repeatedly reminded the Dutch of their contractual obligation to return, but Kiev has also claimed that these objects are state property. The Dutch Museum went to court to resolve the dispute.
Presenting a summary of a recent decision of the Dutch Court of Appeal, President Pauline Hofmaier Rotten said: The national cultural interests of Ukraine outweigh the interests of the Crimean Museums. He said that according to the decision, the Allard Pearson Museum is not obligated to return art treasures to Crimean museums, as the rights of the Ukrainian state on the basis of the so-called Museums Act take precedence.
Crimean museums can appeal the decision to the Dutch Supreme Court.
Exhibition in Holland approx. On display were hundreds of artifacts from the 6th to 2nd centuries BC found on the Black Sea coast, mostly gemstones, gold jewelry, bracelets, necklaces, rings, and earrings reminiscent of the mythical figures of ancient Greece, a 2,400-year-old Scythian helmet, boxes of Chinese lacquer, sword shells and other weapons. Made of gold from the Han Dynasty. (MTI)
