The Medici Conspiracy: The Illicit Journey of Looted Antiquities--From Italy's Tomb Raiders to the World's Greatest Museums
The story begins, as stories do in all good thrillers, with a botched robbery and a police chase. Eight Apuleian vases of the fourth century B.C. are discovered in the swimming pool of a German-based art smuggler. More valuable than the recovery of the vases, however, is the discovery of the smuggler's card index detailing his deals and dealers. It reveals the existence of a web of tombaroli—tomb raiders— who steal classical artifacts, and a network of dealers and smugglers who spirit them...
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A true-life thriller completely exposes the network behind the illegal trade in ancient artifacts - and features a rich cast of rogues and some of the world's most prestigious art institutions.Time Magazine" . . . even the timing of this book is a work of art."
Authors' Note viiPrologue on Fifth Avenue ixOperation Geryon 1Sotheby's, Switzerland, Smugglers 25Connoisseurs and Criminals-the Passion for Greek Vases 33Corridor 17 48Forensic Archaeology in the Freeport 53The Paper Trail, the Polaroids, and the "Cordata" 66The Getty-the "Museum of the Tombaroli" 80The Metropolitan in New York and Other Rogue Museums 100"Collectors Are the Real Looters" 112The Laundries of London and New York 135Phone Taps and the Great Rumor 146The Paris Raid on Robert Hecht 156Raids in Zurich and Geneva, Arrest and Interrogations in Cyprus and Berlin 182Interrogations in Los Angeles and Manhattan 203The Puzzle of the "Orphans" 222The "Cordata" Continues-in Egypt, Greece, Israel, and Oxford 230The Fall of Robin Symes 248The Woodcutter's Archive 265The Trial of Giacomo Medici 269Trading with Japan, Trials in Rome 284Operation Eclipse 306Conclusion: {dollar}500 Million + 100,000 Looted Tombs = Chippindale's Law 325Epilogue on Fifth Avenue 353Acknowledgments and Dedication 360Dossier 361Notes 384Index 391
\ From Barnes & NobleWhat distinguishes this book from similar exposés about the illicit antiquities trade is the willingness of coauthors Peter Watson and Cecilia Todeschini to name names. Tracing a trove of priceless artifacts along a serpentine trail of greed and deception, they uncover a network of unscrupulous tomb raiders, smugglers, and dealers -- and a clientele that includes world-class cultural institutions, from Sotheby's to Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. Courageous journalism at its best, The Medici Conspiracy rips the lid off two scandals: the shameful looting of our shared archaeological heritage and the lamentable crisis of ethics in the art world.\ \ \ \ \ Time Magazine" . . . even the timing of this book is a work of art."\ \ \ Publishers WeeklyIn light of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's recent decision to return a rare-and by the Italian government's contention, stolen-vase painted by the Greek master Euphronios, Watson and Todeschini's colorful account of Giacomo Medici, an antiquities dealer found guilty of looting last year, and his illegal business dealings, is wonderfully prescient. Making sense of a lengthy catalogue of legal, artistic and forensic documentation, the authors meticulously map out Medici's underground network of middlemen and tombaroli, or tomb robbers, and link them to corrupt dealers such as Robin Symes as well as to established cultural institutions including Sotheby's, the John Paul Getty Museum and the Met-asserting that Medici supplied most, if not all, of the major collections of classical antiquities that have been established since WWII. Though Watson (Sotheby's: The Inside Story) and Todeschini often become overly indignant when decrying their story's villains and frequently bog down the narrative with long-winded dialogue and paper trail excerpts, they are at their best when chronicling the international adventures of various investigators, such as the Carabinieri Art Squad's raids on various Italian criminals to recover lost loot. (May) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.\ \
