By Roland Arkell
Last week’s spectacular $14.5m sale of an ancient ‘stargazer’ idol has been placed in doubt after the Turkish government challenged Christie’s right to sell it.
Just prior to the April 28 sale in New York, culture minister Nabi Avci told journalists in Istanbul that he believed the piece – made in Anatolia c.3000-2200 BC – had been illegally excavated and smuggled to the US.