MARTIN BAILEY The Art news paper
The Ethiopian embassy in London has got an English auction house to withdraw two items which were looted by British troops at the battle of Maqdala (Magdala) in 1868. Busby, an auctioneer based in Bridport, Dorset, withdrew them today, just before tomorrow morningโs sale.
An embassy spokesman tellsย The Art Newspaperย that he โcannot yet divulge the full detailsโ, but โcan confirm that a negotiated settlement has been reached which will facilitate the return of these items back to Ethiopiaโ. A Busby spokesman confirmed the embassy and the vendor had made โan arrangementโ, hence the withdrawal.
Although the items are of modest financial value, the case is likely to have much wider implications. The withdrawal will discourage other UK auctioneers from handling Maqdala material and prices are expected to fall substantially.
The two items came from the estate of Major-General William Arbuthnot, the assistant secretary to Lord Napier, who commanded British forces at Maqdala/Magdala. This military expedition led to the defeat and suicide of the Ethiopian emperor.
The first lot was a Coptic Bible, dating from the early- to mid-18th century, bound in a leather purse, together with a metal cross. The opening price was ยฃ180, with an estimate of ยฃ300-ยฃ500.
The other lot was a set of three horn beakers, with silver mounts added in London in 1875. Two are inscribed โMagdalaโ and the third says โtaken at Magdalaโ, with the Arbuthnot name. The opening price was ยฃ60, with an estimate of ยฃ100-ยฃ200.
The Ethiopian embassy in London wrote to Busby on 9 June, saying the two objects were โillegally obtainedโ. Beyene Gebremeskel, the deputy head of the embassy, said that โthe looting of Magdala was a great injustice of the 19th century and persists as a scar on the otherwise warm and friendly relations between the peoples of Ethiopia and the United Kingdomโ.
Busbyโs Bible and beakers represent โa small, but important piece of the story,โ Gebremeskel said. Auctioning them โis at best, unethical, and at worst, the continuation of a cycle of dispossession perpetrated by those who would seek to benefit from the spoils of warโ.
Now that the Coptic Bible and horn beakers are very likely to be returned to Ethiopia, what remains unclear is whether the vendor will simply return them or receive some sort of financial recompense (although the middle estimate for the two items would have been a relatively modest ยฃ550). The horn beakers are likely to go to an Ethiopian museum, but the Bible may be returned to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
