Law, crime and regulation

THE saga of the portrait sold by Christie’s in 1998 as ‘19th century German’, but now claimed as a long-lost work by Leonardo da Vinci, has taken a new turn following the dismissal of the complaint against Christie’s lodged by the work’s consignor.

THE Greek courts have commuted the sentence of antiquities dealer Malcolm Hay from four years to three, suspended for three years.

FORMER Scotland Yard Art & Antiques Squad detective Vernon Rapley is one of two speakers at a lecture on art crime at the Royal Geographical Society on April 5.

THIS marble portrait bust of Ann Borrett by the 18th century sculptor Henry Cheere was stolen from the Church of St Peter and St Paul in Shoreham, Kent at the end of January.

THE case of a hacker who stole more than £180,000 from eBay users has highlighted weaknesses in PayPal’s procedures.

POLICE have thanked two female members of staff who tackled jewellery robbers in a raid on an East Sussex antiques shop.

A TAXIDERMY rhinoceros head mount has been stolen Sworders auction house in Stansted Mountfitchet in what police believe was a raid planned by professional thieves.

THE ban on selling rhino horn trophies, scheduled for introduction over the next couple of months, has been brought into force with immediate effect.

THE Office of Fair Trading has taken action against companies that offer to buy gold from consumers by post.

A NEW scam involving a fake PayPal account has come to light after a dealer lost £1200 of stock to an ‘overseas buyer’ who never paid.

OFFICERS from the Metropolitan Police Service’s Art and Antiques Unit have arrested a man in connection with the sale of fake Churchill memorabilia.

AUSTRALIAN dealers and auctioneers are joining forces to fight the current Artist’s Resale Right scheme introduced to the country seven months ago.

ANTIQUES including silver was stolen in a raid on a Cotswolds antiques centre in the early hours of Wednesday, January 19.

CONFUSION reigns over the Export Licensing Unit, whose proposed move to Birmingham from London in a bid to save money was delayed after protests from the London art market.

ANTIQUITIES dealer Malcolm Hay must wait until February 18 for the appeal against his conviction for trafficking in illegally excavated artefacts to be heard in the Greek courts.

AUCTIONEERS and dealers should be wary of an absentee buyer who offers to pay by BACS and then have goods collected by taxi.

Just days after Sotheby’s announced the sale of a 16th century ivory mask and five other works from the Kingdom of Benin, the auctioneers said they have been withdrawn.

DO light, sound and video installations constitute works of art? Not according to the European Commission, who have unexpectedly reversed a decision made in a UK tax tribunal in 2008, and refused to classify works by established contemporary artists Dan Flavin (b.1933) and Bill Viola (b.1951) as “art”.

A SALE at the Hotel Drouot in Paris devoted to minor works by Picasso was called off at the last minute because of controversy over provenance.

THE U.S. Supreme Court in Washington has delivered a significant blow to Tiffany & Co’s bid to stop the sale of counterfeit jewellery on eBay.