A sacred book looted by British forces from an Ethiopian king has prompted an intense ownership dispute after it resurfaced in a private sales catalogue nearly 160 years after it was stolen.
asserted
it → loot → catalogue
The Gondarine Gospel, an ancient bible originally in the possession of Emperor Tewodros II, was listed among rare books meant to be sold at the ongoing Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.
asserted
Gospel → list → Fair
It was listed for sale at $250,000.
asserted
It → list → 250,000
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Ethiopian authorities have urgently requested that the relic be removed and returned on ‘moral and ethical’ grounds.
asserted
relic → fight → grounds
The matter has provoked calls for wider-scale restitution of looted artefacts in Ethiopia.
asserted
matter → provoke → Ethiopia
It has also reignited ongoing global debates over the responsibility of Western museums and collectors to return hundreds of thousands of Africa’s stolen treasures.
asserted
It → reignite → treasures
“There are clear moral grounds for art dealers to avoid selling items which are established as having been looted,” Abebaw Ayalew, head of the Ethiopian Heritage Authority (EHA), wrote in a letter seen by Al Jazeera and sent to Inlibris, the Vienna-based dealer of rare books which listed the book for sale on behalf of a private owner.
asserted
which → be → owner
“It is considered morally unethical and raises serious reputational risks for famous art dealers such as Inlibris to be involved in the sale of items that are questionably looted,” he wrote.
asserted
he → consider → items
However, Inlibris, in its response to the EHA, rejected the call, arguing that there are “no legal grounds for restitution”, as no laws existed before the 18th century guiding against the looting of cultural items during conflict and that the book’s present owner is thus not obliged to surrender it.
asserted
owner → reject → it
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Inlibris head Hugo Wertscherk did not name the collector but said handing over the book to Ethiopian authorities would be illegal.
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handing → speak → authorities
“Of course I want to see all these manuscripts returned to their rightful owners, but I do not write the laws.
asserted
I → want → laws
I am only a businessman,” he said.
asserted
he → say → ?
Wertscherk denied attempting to sell the bible at the Abu Dhabi fair and said it was only listed as a prop.
A long-lost treasure
The Gondarine Gospel, bound in glossy leather and featuring intricate gold patterns, was stolen from the library of the powerful monarch, Emperor Tewodros.
asserted
Gospel → deny → monarch
Written in Ge’ez, an ancient South Semitic language, the manuscript contains 235 striking illustrations narrating the Gospel of Luke and John in vivid reds, greens and yellows.
asserted
manuscript → write → reds
It was likely originally commissioned between 1730 and 1734 in the city of Gondar.
asserted
It → commission → Gondar
“It is not simply an old religious book, nor should its significance be reduced to its association with Emperor Tewodros,” said Abreha Kiros, a professor of art history at Ethiopia’s Aksum University, pointing out that it is also important for studying Ethiopian manuscript culture, ancient Geʽez literature, as well as the artistic traditions of Gondar, once famous for its artwork and architecture.
asserted
it → reduce → artwork
“It is also connected to a painful moment in Ethiopia’s history…
asserted
It → connect → history
The absence of a clear legal mechanism does not mean that there is no basis for dialogue or restitution,” he added.
asserted
he → mean → dialogue
Emperor Tewodros ruled Ethiopia from 1855 until he died in 1868, during the Battle of Magdala.
asserted
he → rule → Magdala
On his many conquests, he gathered a vast collection of treasures for his great imperial library, which some historians call Ethiopia’s first modern museum.
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historians → gather → which
In the mid-1860s, as his empire was increasingly threatened by an expanding Ottoman Empire and lesser, rival lords, Tewodros wrote to Queen Victoria for support, having long allied with Britain as a fellow Christian power.
asserted
Tewodros → threaten → power
When she failed to respond, Tewodros imprisoned British diplomats, prompting Britain to declare war.
asserted
Tewodros → fail → war
On April 9, 1868, 13,000 troops dispatched from then-British India descended on the king’s court in Magdala and killed Tewodros’ 4,000 soldiers.
asserted
troops → dispatch → soldiers
Instead of surrendering, Tewodros shot himself.
asserted
Tewodros → surrender → himself
The soldiers looted Magdala, taking everything from treasured artefacts to locks of Tewodros’ hair.
asserted
soldiers → loot → hair
Robert Napier, the British commander who led the mission, took the Gondarine Gospel.
asserted
who → lead → Gospel
It has since been passed to other British colonial officers and British museums.
asserted
It → pass → officers
About a decade ago, it fell into private hands.
asserted
it → fall → hands
Thousands of relics stolen from Magdala and from other periods remain outside Ethiopia, although authorities there have actively sought their return.
asserted
authorities → steal → return
Amid widespread calls from activists and African governments for the repatriation of looted objects held in Western museums, Britain, Germany, France, Belgium, among others, have begun instituting permanent returns or agreeing to temporary “loans”.
asserted
Britain → loot → loans
In May, the British returned a lock of hair believed to be from Emperor Tewodros, and a piece of cloth believed to be stained with his blood, to Ethiopia.
uncertain
British → return → Ethiopia
However, it remains uncertain whether the Gondarine Gospel will also find its way home.
asserted
Gospel → remain → way
Wertscherk of Inlibris told Al Jazeera that communication from Ethiopian authorities has been “threatening” in nature.
asserted
communication → tell → nature
The book dealer said his firm is open to dialogue and is willing to come to a “preferential price” settlement but that the final say ultimately rests with the manuscript’s legal owner.
asserted
say → say → owner
“We are prepared to consider a serious institutional purchase proposal, but will not negotiate on the premise that restitution is owed,” he said.
asserted
he → prepare → premise
However, British historian Alula Pankhurst, who first alerted Ethiopian authorities to the exhibition, rejected the claim.
uncertain
who → alert → claim
“The Ethiopian Heritage Authority wrote them a polite letter which was not a threat,” Pankhurst said.
asserted
Pankhurst → write → letter
Ethiopian authorities “take the position that since the manuscript was clearly looted, as Inlibris openly acknowledged, it should first be withdrawn from the sale, and then negotiations can go ahead.
asserted
negotiations → take → sale
This has been the case in several successful recent cancellations of auctions in the UK, the US and Italy where the sellers have accepted the principle that looted items should not go to open sales and where subsequent negotiations have led to settlements,” he added.
asserted
he → accept → settlements
A resolution does not have to be confrontational and could take the form of a negotiated return, donation, long-term loan, shared custodianship, or other mutually agreed arrangements, Kiros of Aksum University said, urging both sides to choose a constructive pathway.
uncertain
Kiros → have → pathway
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
