Evening star., 1939-01-29
Statue Of Apollo Is
Returned to Greece
BIZ Frederic J. Huskin.

NATIONAL MuSeuUl OI AtfleuS B. StAtuo
of Apollo which had been absent from
home without official leave for some
time. AS Apollo was one Of the chief
gods of ancient Greece, his return
was especially welcome. The story Of
the adventures Of this marble figure.
some feet tall, is almost an Odyssey.
1t seems that gang of Greeks, more
learned in the ways of commerce and
vandalism, perhaps, than in the arts
and yet knowing that Greek antiqui-
ties had large market value, found
out where Apollo was buried. Many
in the past, some because they fell
from their pedestals and the accumu-
lations of the silt Of time covered them.
and some because they were deliber-
ately buried to secrete them from in
vaders. Some years ago adventurous
Greeks piled quite trade in find
ing and exporting such works Of art.
The Apollo was discovered on coun-
try estate at Anevissos, some 20 miles
to the southwark of Athens. Under
cover of darkness, like resurrection men,
the members of this gang recovered
the statue from the earth. It was
in a good state of preservation save
that the legs were gone below the
knees. The noble head and torso were
still intact. The robbers were smart
enough to know that mutilation de-
tracted little from market value in the
Western World, SO the statue was loaded
on farm cart and taken to a little
quiet fishing port on the Peloponnesus,
where it was put aboard a schooner and
sent, by secret previous arrangement,
to an art dealer in Paris. 1t has since
equivalent of $500 for their pains.
The Paris dealer knew that he had
dangerous goods on his hands and
made no immediate effort to place the
statue on the antique market. He
stored 1t in bank vault, boxed, of
course, so the bank officials did not
know what it was. At length, with the
aid of the French Surete, the Apollo
was traced The Greek government
took the matter up automatically with
the French government asking for the
extradition to Greece of the art dealer
and the sequestration, meanwhile, OF
the Greek god.
The art dealer was arrested, but ap-
pealed to the courts of his own coun-
try and was released, the court hold
ing that there was no law at that time
against the smuggling of antiquities.
Meantime, the Greek courts had not
been idle. Although the man was not
in Greek custody, nevertheless he
was sentenced to a prison term Of eight
years and fine Of $4,000, 900 drachmae.
which, even in Greek money, is very
large sum.
Whether the Paris art dealer wanted
to stay friendly with the Greeks. so
that he might be, free, perhaps, to go
collecting in that storied land or for
some other reason, after while he
came forward voluntarily and offered
to return the statue. But it seems that
Apollo had suffered more vicissitudes,
either aboard ship or in Paris because
the statue was reported as being in
10 pieces. The Greeks wanted their
Apollo just the same. They felt able
to do competent job of plastic sur
gerry So, after many formalities, in
cluding correspondence between the two
governments involved, the statue was
turned over to the Greek Minister at
Paris in the presence of many wit
nesses. -Four policemen had been sent
all the way from Athens as a body
guard for the remains of the statue
and it was placed aboard ship with
all the solemnity that a major deity
might be expected to command.
x4
In due course, the Apollo arrived
home in Greece and, it is understood,
experts even now are busy putting the
pieces together again. The sculpture
is said to be fine example of early
Greek art and, of course, it will be
enshrined in a place of honor at the
National Museum in Athens
1t was in 1900 that Thomas Bruce,
Earl of Elgin, was serving as British
envoy at Constantinope when he con-
SCA'Co VIC iOCd VI oOlllS WIdU
these modern thieves did. Only on a
larger scale and with open boldness.
The Greeks had not gained an under
standing CT the value of their antique
ties at that time. They were too much
engaged with the politics of the mo-
ment. The Parthenon, most famous Of
Greek temples, was in utter ruin with
parts of the frieze, capitals and bases
and other parts of columns scattered
around. People were casually taking
them at will to build huts and stables.
So the Earl of Elgin moved boldly
and loaded a whole ships cargo Of
these now priceless relics and then
sailed contentedly away to England.
The work was all done at his expense,
which amounted to some $3.50 900. There
was some criticism Of this high-handed
proceeding at the time, but not very
much and nothing was done. The earl
later sold his loot to the British Museum
and today the collection is known
throughout the world as the Elgin Mar
bles. There is something ironic about
the fact, however, that the British
Museum only paid the earl about $780,
600 for the treasures.
There is a curious story that it was
a VIRGINIA shin caDtain whose vesSs1