Ethiopia demands return of looted shield from auctioneer
ETHIOPIA’S government has demanded a firm of Newcastle-based auctioneers return a 19th-century shield plundered by British soldiers more than 150 years ago.
The engraved Abyssinian shield was among thousands of royal, religious, and military artefacts looted at the Bat- tle of Magdala in 1868 when a British expeditionary force laid siege to the mountain fortress of Emperor Tewodros II in what was then Abyssinia.
The shield, made from hide and metal, is expected to fetch between £800 and £1,200 when it goes for sale, along with a host of other antique military paraphernalia, at Anderson and Garland on Thursday.
But the Ethiopian National Heritage National Restitution Committee, a subsidiary of the country’s tourism board, has decried the sale as “inappropriate and immoral” and demanded the shield be “restituted” so it can be put on display in Ethiopia.
Alula Pankhurst, a British scholar and spokesman for the group, said it was made aware of the sale by Andrew Heavens, a London-based journalist who has compiled a list of artefacts stolen from the battle.
Embossed on the centre of the shield are the words “Magdala April 13 1868”.
Mr Pankhurst, whose great-grandmother was the suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, said: “On realising that the shield was looted the auctioneers could have advised the vendor of the reputational risk and informed them of recent cases where auctions of looted artefacts have been cancelled.
“Anderson and Garland have referred the matter to the vendor and together they should consider restituting the shield and repatriating it to its rightful owners so that it can be displayed to the public in Ethiopia.”
Anderson and Garland did not respond to requests for comment.