[MSN] Centuries-old Jewish manuscript pits dealer, auction house

[Museum Security Network Mailinglist]

Centuries-old Jewish manuscript pits dealer, auction house  
 
 New York, Sept 10: It's an art lover's triangle, pitting France and a
London-based auction house against a Brooklyn art dealer -- over a Jewish
manuscript created eight centuries ago. 

The dispute involves a 13th century Torah that is believed to have been
stolen from France's Bibliotheque Nationale, that nation's biggest,
government-run library. 

Christie's auction house sold the centuries-old manuscript and five other
scrolls to Brooklyn antiquities dealer Yosef Goldman at a New York auction
six years ago. 

France sued Goldman, demanding its return. In July, Goldman sued Christie's
in Brooklyn Supreme Court, saying the auction house should not have allowed
the work to be sold. 

Christie's auction house defended its conduct, saying it did not know the
item was stolen when it agreed to auction it. 

"We believe his suit has no merit, and we will follow up in court,"
Christie's spokesman, Toby Usnik said. 

Goldman is asking for a refund of the USD 358,000 he paid for the
manuscript, according to his attorney, Nathaniel Lewin. 

The dealer also alleged that Christie's is being slow in helping to return
the torah to France. 

All Christie's wants, spokesman Usnik said on Saturday, is "to work with the
Bibliotheque Nationale to ensure the return of the manuscript to the
library." 

According to its suit, the French government obtained the 13th-century
religious manuscript in 1668. It is unclear when it vanished from the
national library of France. The book, known as 'Hebrew 52' among art
experts, may have been damaged and altered during the theft.