elgin again

[mother]

Now that a precedant has been set by that Scottish church returning the Ethiopian altar piece, is it only a question of time till the Elgin Marbles, Benin bronzes, etc. go back to their homes? Discuss

[incitatus]

Given the touchy feely nature of the current government, probably. I still think that we shouldnt do it unilaterally...I know the Swedes have a policy of Finders Keepers on their museums...so do we impoverish ours alone? The french are unlikely to return the Venus de Milo...the Mona Lisa should be italian, surely? both the painter and the client were, as I recall. Will they give that back? No. What about the bust of Nephertiti which the Germans have? Its not just us, its everyone, and untill we ALL agree to do a handover I dont think anything should go anywhere.

[andy hughes]

As usual, my learned friend Incitatus offers a persuasive argument. However, I feel we have to balance the enjoyment of foreign artefacts against the moral justice of retaining things which may not necessarily belong to us as a nation. That said, I would also endorse a mutual handover system, rather than simply the UK taking the morally correct, but culturally bereft way out of this thorny problem.

[findo]

As far as the Elgin marbles are concerned, they were not simply taken from their country of origin. Elgin paid for them and removed them with the knowledge and consent of local authorities. If your grandfather had bought a painting quite legally and you were suddenly told you had to give it back because he bought it abroad, would you think that was fair? Greece has trashed what was left behind with pollution and neglect and by allowing too many visitors to the Acropolis; all those feet cause erosion and other damage, and yet many visitors go only because it's "what you do in Athens" rather than out of real interest. Go to the Acropolis and watch all the kids who don't want to be there, and tell me it's worth it. Now they are saying - "we ruined what we have, but yours are in good condition so we want them back." I can't believe anyone takes them seriously.

[sgs]

There's an answerbank article on the Ethiopian artefacts at article 2822

[mrsdanvers]

Findo makes a very serious point here. The Elgin Marbles are indeed a very different matter to many of the artefacts in European museums. For some reason they have hijacked the debate over this issue. Other - genuinely plundered - items are probably more deserving of the attention, such as the Ethiopian piece recently given back.