Art News

France Returns the Louvre’s Wall Paintings Sought by Egypt

One of the five fragments of an ancient wall painting that France plans to return to Egypt, is seen displayed at the Elysee Palace during a ceremony with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak. -  AP Photo/Christophe Ena.

PARIS (AP).-
Fragments of an ancient wall painting that caused a feud between Egypt
and the Louvre Museum are heading home. France returned the ancient artwork to
Egyptian officials after President Hosni Mubarak inspected one of the fragments
following a visit with his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy.
The
pockmarked slab in sepia and blue tones, from a 3,200-year-old tomb near the
ancient temple city of Luxor, shows an offering from a nobleman to a servant.
French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand said in a statement that the
handover “is testament to France’s desire to … fight against the illegal
trafficking of cultural goods, which France is itself a victim of, as well as
the excellence of French-Egyptian cooperation in the realm of archaeology.”