Buzz
When it comes to bidding on fine art and priceless antiques, the item's history of ownership, known as provenance, is absolutely vital. For those unfamiliar with this term, provenance refers to the documented chain of ownership for an item up for auction. Before placing a bid on an item that could fetch millions of dollars, a buyer needs confirmation that the piece is genuine and comes with verified documentation.
Provenance also plays a crucial role in ensuring that the seller holds legal ownership of the item and has the right to sell it. Auction houses typically demand thorough provenance records before agreeing to host a sale. Nonetheless, some auctions have concluded with significant sales, yet the controversy over the item’s origin and history remains unresolved. In this article, we examine 10 high-priced auction items surrounded by uncertainty about their provenance.
10. The Tutankhamun Head
In July 2019, the prestigious London auction house Christie’s hosted a high-profile event known as The Exceptional Sale, with a highlight item: an 'Egyptian Brown Quartzite Head of the God Amen featuring the likeness of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.' This remarkable piece, dated back to the reign of Tutankhamun around 1333-1323 BC, fetched an impressive £4,746,250, including the buyer's premium (a fee on top of the winning bid, which goes to the auction house). For those in the U.S., that amounts to approximately 6.4 million dollars.
It fetched this enormous sum, despite its unclear provenance prior to the 1960s. Furthermore, the Egyptian government contested the sale, asserting that the artifact had likely been stolen from an Egyptian temple and illicitly taken out of the country in the 1970s. The Chairman of the International Association of Dealers in Ancient Art (IADAA) countered, noting that it was common for Egyptian antiquities to be sold and exported 'by the crate-load' until Egypt's ban on such sales in 1983.
The 2019 Christie’s auction saw the item sold to a private collector, so its whereabouts remain unknown until it resurfaces for sale. However, the dispute over its provenance and ownership persists.
9. The Jimi Hendrix Monterey Stratocaster
On December 3, 2021, Paul Davids, who operates a popular guitar-focused YouTube channel, uploaded a video titled 'I PLAYED JIMI HENDRIX’ $10,000,000 GUITAR.' The black Fender Stratocaster in question was said to be the one Hendrix famously played at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. However, sharp-eyed Hendrix fans quickly pointed out that certain identifying marks on the guitar in Davids’s video didn’t match those visible on Hendrix’s Strat in film footage from the festival.
A key discrepancy was a missing patch of black finish on the back of Hendrix’s guitar, which appeared to have shifted on the guitar in question. Further skepticism arose when it was revealed that this guitar had been scheduled for auction by Heritage Auctions in 2017, but the sale was halted after experts raised doubts about whether it was the same guitar Hendrix used at Monterey. Davids later revised his video to question the guitar’s provenance before ultimately removing the video altogether. Myles Poulton, who arranged for Davids to play the guitar in the video, continues to vouch for the provenance of the Hendrix Monterey Strat, although many in the YouTube guitar community remain unconvinced.
8. The Hitler Phone
In 2017, Alexander Historical Auctions, based in Maryland, made waves by selling a haunting item—a red telephone that was claimed to have been used by Adolf Hitler in his infamous World War II bunker. Given the sinister orders that could have been relayed through this phone, the auction house referred to it as ‘arguably the most destructive ‘weapon’ of all time.’ Despite fetching $243,000 from a buyer, the phone’s authenticity was quickly questioned by many.
Frank Gnegel, from the Frankfurt Museum for Communication, immediately dismissed the phone as a ‘clear fake.’ Similarly, Dutch telephone expert Arwin Schaddelee voiced strong skepticism about its authenticity. Schaddelee pointed out the presence of British parts, which would have been highly unusual in 1940s Germany, especially considering the wartime hostility between Germany and England. He also noted that the cords were from a later period, and the various conflicting origin stories only fueled further doubts. Still, the auction house maintained that the phone was genuine, despite the mounting evidence against it.
7. Igbo Sacred Art
The Igbo people, one of Nigeria’s largest ethnic groups with an estimated population of 40 million, became the focus of a major controversy in June 2020. Two sacred Igbo art pieces were auctioned at Christie’s, raising questions not about their age or authenticity, but about their provenance. The legal status of their acquisition came under scrutiny, with doubts raised about whether the artifacts had been obtained through lawful means, and whether the seller had the right to put them up for auction.
Chika Okeke-Agulu, a professor at Princeton University, made public claims that the objects in question were looted during Nigeria’s civil war in the 1960s. He highlighted how the previous narrative had always stated the items were obtained in 1968, but when they were placed for auction, Christie’s revised the acquisition date to a less controversial 1983. Despite the sale fetching $239,000, Okeke-Agulu, alongside the Nigerian government, continues to raise awareness about the looting during the war, advocating for the return of sacred objects to their rightful communities.
6. The Velázquez ‘Young Immaculate’
Diego Velázquez, the renowned 17th-century Spanish painter, is known for his masterpiece, ‘The Immaculate Conception,’ housed in London’s National Gallery. In April 2017, an artwork that was recently uncovered went up for auction—‘Retrato de Niña o Joven Inmaculada’ (‘Portrait of a Girl’ or ‘Young Immaculate’). The painting portrays a young girl with her hands folded in prayer, reminiscent of the Immaculate Conception, suggesting it could be an early work by Velázquez. If verified, this piece would likely date back to his teenage years.
This illustrates another facet of the issue surrounding provenance uncertainty: the element of risk. Modern methods employed by art historians today can gradually offer greater certainty about the origins of a work. However, does one want to miss out on the auction? Clearly, enough collectors were willing to take the chance, as the painting sold for €8 million (approximately $9 million) on April 25, 2017, at the Abalarte auction house in Madrid.
5. Steve McQueen’s Rolex
The legendary Steve McQueen, celebrated for his portrayal of the quintessential antihero in classic films like ‘Bullitt’ (1968), ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ (1968), and ‘Papillon’ (1973), left an indelible mark on both cinema and fashion. In 2018, auction house Phillips offered fans a chance to own a piece of his iconic style by auctioning off his Rolex Submariner wristwatch.
However, as soon as the auction was announced, fans pointed out a significant issue—there was no photographic proof of McQueen wearing this particular watch. Phillips claimed the Rolex was a gift from McQueen to his former stuntman, Loren James. The actor’s estate joined the conversation, disputing that this watch ever belonged to McQueen. Phillips ultimately canceled the sale, maintaining their belief that McQueen had gifted the watch to James but acknowledging they lacked evidence that McQueen ever wore it.
4. The Van Gogh Landscape
Vincent van Gogh’s name is synonymous with fine art, partly due to the frequent rediscovery of previously unknown works. Each year, the Van Gogh Museum receives around 200 pieces for authentication, with roughly five qualifying for more in-depth examination. Some of these eventually gain recognition as authentic works by the master, prompting auction-goers to take a gamble and bid on unverified pieces.
One such gamble occurred in 2021 when art collector Stuart Pivar acquired what he believes to be a Van Gogh landscape painting at an auction near Paris. This 3′ x 3′ piece, titled ‘Auvers, 1890,’ depicts the town where Van Gogh spent his final weeks before his death in July 1890. Should it be confirmed as a genuine Van Gogh, it would become his largest known work, and the only one created on a square canvas. If authenticated, Pivar could stand to make a significant return on his investment.
3. Hobby Lobby Biblical Antiques
Steve Green, the president of the arts-and-crafts retail chain Hobby Lobby and founder of The Museum of the Bible, has found the museum to be a source of trouble for both himself and the company. In 2017, Hobby Lobby paid $3 million in fines and forfeited over 140 ancient artifacts after the U.S. Department of Justice accused them of illegally importing the items into the United States.
Hobby Lobby has taken steps to recover some of its losses. In 2020, they filed a lawsuit against Christie’s regarding the $1.7 million sale of a tablet featuring the Epic of Gilgamesh. The company argued that Christie’s had failed to properly verify the artifact’s provenance and that the previous owner had fabricated a false history for the piece. As of February 2022, Hobby Lobby amended its complaint, adding the previous owner as a defendant.
2. Counterfeit Wine
Old and prestigious bottles of wine are a natural fit for high-stakes auctions, but they also attract counterfeiters looking to capitalize on the demand. In April 2021, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported Rudy Kurniawan after he was convicted of wine counterfeiting. Back in 2006, Kurniawan had what appeared to be a stellar year, earning $34 million from two auctions involving counterfeit wine.
The sales, orchestrated by the auction house Acker Merrall & Condit, came under scrutiny when 22 lots of wine at another Acker auction were identified as forgeries. In 2012, the FBI discovered a fake wine production setup in the kitchen of Rudy Kurniawan’s Los Angeles home. Kurniawan’s criminal activities are far from isolated, as the Wine Industry Advisor published an article in February 2022 urging buyers to only purchase collectible wines from charity auctions, ensuring that if the wine turns out to be counterfeit, at least the money goes to a good cause.
1. The Timurid Qur’an
The Qur’an, the sacred text of Islam, saw an extraordinary 15th-century copy known as the Timurid Qur’an go under the hammer at Christie’s in June 2020. With its exquisite Arabic calligraphy and gold-flecked, colored paper, this remarkable work of art fetched a staggering £7 million (roughly US $9.5 million) at auction.
However, the buyer had to place an immense amount of trust in the provenance of the piece, which remained unknown until the 1980s. While it is believed that the Qur’an was crafted at the court of a Timurid prince in what is now Iran or Afghanistan, considerable effort will be required by the new owner to uncover the missing pieces of its history between the 1400s and the 1980s.
