The Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. is once again facing criticism for its possession of a stolen artifact.
According to Christianity Today, US Attorney Richard Donoghue of the Eastern District of New York filed a forfeiture claim against the museum on Monday for a six by five-inch clay tablet that was stolen from Iraq.
The tablet, which is known as the Gilgamesh Dream Tablet was sold to arts and crafts retailer Hobby Lobby – which is owned by the Museum’s owner Steve Green – in 2014 at Christie’s auction house for $1.6 million. Following the purchase, Hobby Lobby donated the tablet to the Museum of the Bible, unaware that the tablet had actually been stolen years prior.
“In this case, a major auction house failed to meet its obligations by minimizing its concerns that the provenance of an important Iraqi artifact was fabricated and withheld from the buyer information that undermined the provenance’s reliability,” said US Attorney Richard Donoghue.
In a statement, representatives from the Museum of the Bible told Christianity Today that the artifact will be returned to Iraq in compliance with authorities.
Christie’s auction house is also being sued by Hobby Lobby for selling the stolen tablet with falsified claims of its provenance.
Deemed one of the world’s most important pieces of literature, the Gilgamesh epic recounts the story of a king who…
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