Israel’s premier museum for Islamic art has scrapped the proposed auction of many rare and precious objects after a public tour over the sale effort, which was expected to fetch millions of dollars from rich private collection.
In a deal struck Wednesday, Sotheby’s auction house agreed to return 268 items from London back to the LA Mayer Museum of Islamic Art in Jerusalem.
The deal ends a saga that drew widespread criticism and threatened to smash one of Israel’s most valuable public art collections. Art experts criticized the sold-out effort to private collectors saying it was hidden from the public and violated the museum’s founding intention to prepare the Israeli people about the Islamic world through art.
As part of the arrangement, the Al Thani Collection, an art foundation funded by the ruling family of the energetic Gulf state in Qatar, will “generously support the LA Mayer Museum of Islamic Art” for 10 years, while they will be there One of the pieces from the Museum of Islamic Art will be on long-term loan to the Al Thani Collection gallery at the Hotel de la Marine in Paris.
Israeli daily Haaretz said Sotheby’s would receive a two million pound ($ 2.78m) deduction tax. Neither Sotheby’s nor the museum would provide details of the tax or annual funding for the museum, although the auction house said “with the circumstances, Sotheby’s reduced its withdrawal fees”.
Banners for two conventional exhibitions are on display outside the Museum of Islamic Art in Jerusalem on Wednesday [Maya Alleruzzo/AP]
The item on loan with an 11th-century decorated silver jug is part of a store of silverware found in the early 20th century near Nivahand, in northeastern Iran. The item was purchased early in the last century by art collector Ralph Harari, who later sold it to the museum’s founder, Vera Salomons.
An Arabic inscription under a row of animals running on the jug reads: “Perfect blessing, lasting wealth, abundant happiness and complete security to its owner.” This was not one of the products first sold at Sotheby’s at the October fair.
Israel and Qatar do not have a formal diplomatic relationship, but there are ties to Qatar’s move of hundreds of millions of dollars to help block the Gaza Strip. Sotheby’s said it facilitated the collaboration between the Islamic Art Museum and the Al Thani Collection.
The Museum of Islamic Art and the Hermann de Stern Foundation, which started Sotheby’s auction, welcomed the agreement, saying it will “ensure the continued operation of the museum over time”.
“This is a real end result and we are delighted to be partnering with the Al Thani Collection Foundation in this way to further our shared goals of enhancing cultural exchange, and at the at one time allowing the museum to continue to promote art and culture for the benefit of what Israeli public and art lovers said, ”the museum and the foundation said in a joint statement.
The Al Thani Summit said it was “delighted to be involved in the survival of a unique institution that is making a meaningful difference to the surrounding communities”.
The materials from the museum’s collection, including a number of central items and valuable vintage watches, were slated for auction at Sotheby’s in October.
The Hermann de Stern Foundation, a Liechtenstein-based trust that funds most of the museum’s budget, said the sale was aimed at covering the institution’s management costs. He claimed a legal right to sell the goods.
Pocket watches from an extensive collection of watches and clocks can be seen at the Museum of Islamic Art in Jerusalem [Maya Alleruzzo/AP Photo]
The Hashava Foundation, an Israeli art theft prevention group, petitioned the Supreme Court in November to stop an auction. They said the sale “violated the laws” of Israel’s laws governing museums and antiquities, and would cause “unsustainable damage and great loss to the public”.
Meir Heller, founder of Hashava, said the group was proud that the petition “achieved the goal and brought this rare and valuable collection back to Israel and its presentation to the public”.
The museum was founded in the 1960s by Salomons, the scion of a British-Jewish noble family who died in 1969, and named after Leo Arie Mayer, a famous scholar in the Middle East. It is home to thousands of Islamic objects dating back to the seventh to 19th centuries.
There is also a collection of antique watches donated by the Salomons family, including dozens by the famous Parisian geologist Abraham-Louis Breguet. His schedules adorned 17th and 18th century European royalty, including Marie Antoinette.
Items on sale included a 15th-century Ottoman auction decorated with silver calligraphy, a 12th-century bowl depicting a Persian prince, and a collection of antique watches, including three designed by Breguet.
The removal of the artwork attracted a public reception with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Israeli Culture Minister Hili Tropper, museum curators and academics, and put an end to the auction and finally.
“I am thrilled that our strong efforts to fully preserve the entire LA Mayer Museum collection have come to such a successful conclusion,” said Tropper, noting the generosity of the Collection Foundation Al Thani “is a great honor for the spirit of cross-cultural co-operation”.