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An art historian and appraiser nicknamed "The Indiana Jones of Art" has struck again, stalking a 16-century-old Cypriot mosaic that portrays the early history of Christianity, BBC News reports.
You may know Indiana Jones, the blazing archaeologist who fights with the Nazis to keep his hands of invaluable archaeological artifacts, and his famous slip "It belongs to a museum! " true of the art, with regard to the Dutch Arthur Brand.
Instead of just fighting the Nazis, Brand is fighting against unscrupulous art dealers. And also the Nazis (more on this in a few paragraphs.) Instead of using a whip and a gun, Brand uses his quick wit and hours of research.
How he got the nickname
As an art appraiser and trader, Brand knows something about art. He knows very well why art thieves steal, exchange and smuggle valuable pieces. He used this knowledge to recover his fair share of the missing works.
It all started in 2002, when he realized that he had been fooled by a fake. He made a few phone calls and ended up associating with an art thief who turned himself into an informant. Not long after, not only did he track down and identify fakes, he also stalked lost or stolen works of art.
After a long search that took me almost two years: the missing mosaic of Saint-Marc finally returns to Cyprushttps: //t.co/PHMRldBc3h
– Arthur Brand (@brand_arthur) November 18, 2018
Soon, he was working with neo-Nazis, the Irish Republican Army, the Italian Mafia and other unsavory elements, using fake profiles and Google Earth to facilitate transactions in order to recover coins. Some had been stolen by the Nazis. Some had been stolen by (or at least were in possession of) the Irish Republican Army. In most cases, Brand has been able to obtain the publication of works of art from their rightful owners (usually museums)
The brand says that terrorist groups steal the art to keep as collateral and leverage. For example, suppose that a member of the IRA is arrested; the group can then promise to return a stolen coin in exchange for the release of the prisoner. Or, in the case of the Italian mafia, the group promised to return a stolen piece in exchange for additional phone privileges with some of their confederates who were behind bars.
His latest find
Brand's latest find is a 1600-year-old mosaic from the island of Cyprus, located in the Mediterranean Sea, about 100 kilometers west of the shores of Lebanon and Syria.
Representing the Christian apostle Saint Mark, the Byzantine mosaic has spent centuries in the Panayia Kanakaria church, until Turkish military forces invade the island and plunder the works of art.
Unlike many of the works he found, the Cypriot mosaic, although stolen, was not used for harmful purposes. Rather, it had been bought by a British family who had bought it "in good faith", unaware that it had bought stolen works of inestimable value.
"They were horrified when they discovered that it was actually an invaluable art treasure, stolen from the Kanakaria church after the 39th anniversary. Turkish invasion. It was one of the greatest moments of my life. "
The mosaic has since been returned to the Cyprus Embassy in The Hague. At the time of writing these lines, we still do not know what will be finally done with the piece.
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