The sale of the heads, from the collection of the late fashion designer Yves St Laurent, aroused great anger in China, which demanded their return.
Despite calls from the Chinese government for the auction to be stopped, the two heads sold in Paris for 15.7 million euros (￡13.9 million) each, to a telephone buyer who at the time remained anonymous.
Now a Chinese collector, Cai Mingchao, has said that he was the successful bidder for both animal heads but would now refuse to pay for them. He said his bid had been a "patriotic act".
Chinese Art Treasure --- Bronze Statue of Monkey Head
Name: Bronze Statue of Mobkey Head
Category: Bronze Ware
Birth Age: Years of the Qianlong Reign in Qing Dynasty
Original Ascription: One of Bronze Statues of Zodiac Animal Heads in front of Haiyan Hall of the Western Building at the Former Yuanmingyuan
Current Status: Be robbed in the Burning Accident of The Imperial Palace in 1860 and stored in France later, Now it is collected at Beijing Baoli Museum.
Chinese Art Treasure --- Bronze Statue of Cock Head
Name: Bronze Statue of Cock Head
Category: Bronze Ware
Birth Age: Years of the Qianlong Reign in Qing Dynasty
Original Ascription: One Bronze Statues of 12 Zodiac animal heads in front of Haiyan Hall of the Western Building at the Former Yuanmingyuan
Current Status: Be robbed in the Burning Accident of The Imperial Palace in 1860 and then flowed to abroad and has been missing ever since.
Chinese Art Treasure --- Bronze Statue of Dog Head
Name: Bronze Statue of Dog Head
Category: Bronze Ware
Birth Age: Years of the Qianlong Reign in Qing Dynasty
Original Ascription: One Bronze Statues of 12 Zodiac animal heads in front of Haiyan Hall of the Western Building at the Former Yuanmingyuan
Current Status: Be robbed in the Burning Accident of The Imperial Palace in 1860 and then flowed to abroad and has been missing ever since.
Chinese Art Treasure --- Bronze Statue of Boar Head
Name: Bronze Statue of Boar Head
Category: Bronze Ware
Birth Age: Years of the Qianlong Reign in Qing Dynasty
Original Ascription:
One of Bronze Statues of Zodiac Animal Heads in front of Haiyan Hall of the Western Building at the Former Yuanmingyuan
One of Bronze Statues of Zodiac Animal Heads in front of Haiyan Hall of the Western Building at the Former Yuanmingyuan
Current Status: Be robbed in the Burning Accident of The Imperial Palace in 1860 and stored in France later, Now it is collected at Beijing Baoli Museum.
* Successive events of French Christie's auction for Yuanmingyuan cultural relics of two bronze animal heads:
Two controversial ancient Chinese relics were auctioned off on Wednesday night for 14 million euros (17.92 million U.S. dollars) each by anonymous telephone bidders in Christie's sale of the collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge in the Grand Palace of Paris.
According to Christie's, they have received 8 phone calls for "enquiries" before the sale. After the auction was launched, the competition was only conducted between telephone bidders, with no one in the scene raised for a bid. Christie's refused to disclose who were the bidders at a press conference afterward.
The bronze sculptures, a rat's head and a rabbit's head, were looted by invading Anglo-French expedition army in the 19th century, when the invaders burned down the royal garden of Yuanmingyuan in Beijing.
Li Huan, a Chinese student in France told Xinhua that the two bronzes are news for the French, but history for the Chinese. Earlier this night, some Chinese students in France voluntarily went to the Grand Palace, distributing sheets introducing the history of Yuanmingyuan and the Second Opium War in 1860.
* Original address of this China gift post: China Gift and Fine Arts & Crafts in China
