ALR Newsletter Issue 21 – September 2021

You can see this newsletter in its original formatting (and sleeker look!) here.

Anglo Saxon brooch returned to UK museum
We are delighted to have assisted with the return of an Anglo-Saxon brooch stolen from Rutland County Museum in 1995.

The brooch was sent by post to the Metropolitan Police anonymously at the end of last year. Since they were unsure from where it might have been stolen, they checked it with the ALR in case the theft had been registered with us by another police force. Thankfully the brooch was matched to the one stolen from the museum in 1995, and it has now been returned.

It was particularly pleasing to continue our close work with the police on this case, as well as the insurers who had originally paid out on the loss. A spokesperson from Zurich UK noted:

“Over recent years we have endeavoured to strengthen our subrogation / recovery capabilities and as part of that effort we have established a strong partnership with the Art Loss Register which has ultimately led to a number of recoveries for Zurich and our customers.”

The story has already been featured in BBC News and the Antiques Trade Gazette, and you can read full details on our website.

Pictured from left to right: Carl Tatman (Claims Relationship Manager, Zurich Insurance), Robert Clayton (Head of Culture and Registration, Rutland County Council, Tim Clough (Former Curator, Rutland County Museum), Cllr Lucy Stephenson (Cabinet Member for Culture), Detective Constable Sophie Hayes (Metropolitan Police), James Ratcliffe (Director of Recoveries & General Counsel, The Art Loss Register).
 

 

In the news…

It’s been an especially busy time over the past few months as along with coverage of the recent recoveries mentioned here, the ALR has been profiled in the international press and interviews, including…
  • The work of our specialist service The Watch Register covered in detail in the Financial Times
  • Interviews with our Chairman Julian Radcliffe, ranging from Insurance Day and the Insurance Post, to a filmed interview with The Antiquarto.
  • The ALR’s Will Korner discussed the advantages and challenges of technologies in preventing art theft and fraud with Artnet
  • Antonia Kimbell one of our Recoveries Managers was interviewed about stolen art cases on the Hidden in Plain Sight podcast
  • Reviews and excepts of Professor Anja Shortland’s book focusing on public / private initiatives in recovering stolen art and the ALR’s role within thave appeared in The Daily Telegraph, The Mail on Sunday, Country Life, and featured in The Art Newspaper’s June book bag.

Barthelemy Prieur sculpture recovered

A late 16th Century small bronze ‘Figure of  a Peasant’ by the French artist Barthelemy Prieur has been recovered having been stolen in December 2012. The work was matched to a registration during the vetting for an international art fair in early 2020.
The insurer of the stolen bronze confirmed the work had not been recovered and we successfully pursued a claim so that it was brought to auction in July 2021.

This month… the Antiques Trade Gazette turns 50!

Congratulations to the ATG for 50 years of terrific coverage of the art market,
working with auction houses, dealers, museums and collectors to help recover stolen art through their important theft alerts!Make sure to grab your special edition for their 50th anniversary,
dated 18th September.

Slow and steady… Tortoises make it home after 30 years

As reported in the Antiques Trade Gazette, it has been great to see the return of four bronze tortoises to the National Trust property Kingston Lacy.

The tortoises were part of a set of 16 commissioned by collector and Egyptologist William John Bankes (1786-1855) from Italian-born sculptor Baron Carlo Marochetti (1805-67). They were stolen in 1992, after which they were replaced with replicas.

Earlier this year, one of the four missing bronzes was consigned to Dreweatts and appeared in its March 30 Fine Furniture, Sculpture, Carpets, Ceramics and Works of Art sale catalogue. It was withdrawn from sale after it was flagged as identical to those stolen from Kingston Lacy. The other three were subsequently tracked down by the National Trust.
Where to find us
Excitingly, this Newsletter is being brought to you from an IRL fair!
Greetings from Art Basel which is the ALR’s first post-Covid fair in person.
With a busy schedule after TEFAF Online and now at Art Basel, you can find us at:

  • Frieze Masters, 13th – 17th October
  • PAN Amsterdam, 14th – 21st November
  • Art Cologne and Cologne Fine Art & Design, 17th – 21st November
  • Art Basel in Miami Beach, 2nd – 4th December