Art News

France Returns the Louvre’s Wall Paintings Sought by Egypt

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. Egypt’s antiquities czar Zahi Hawass cut ties with the Louvre in October, saying the famed Paris museum had refused to return the fragments.