A collection of Chinese antiques, including three 18th-century bronze sculptures looted from China by British and French troops some 140 years ago, went on display in Taipei yesterday.
The exhibition -- the first of its kind ever held outside China -- was organized by an art museum belonging to a Chinese conglomerate to promote cultural exchanges, said Chen Hongsheng, the museum's vice president.
At the exhibition hall, bronze sculptures of tiger, monkey and ox heads were displayed in a glass cabinet next to a painting of the opulent gardens of Yuan Ming Yuan (
In 1860, during the second Opium War, British and French troops occupied the area, looted its treasures and set fire to the palaces.
The bronze heads were part of a water clock featuring the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. The China Poly Group (保利博物館), a state-owned conglomerate, bought them for about US$4 million from auctions held by Sotheby's and Christie's in Hong Kong last year.
Chen said Chinese officials also hope to recover another four of the 12 animals originally belonging to the water clock: a horse head said to be in Taiwan; a boar's head said to be in the US and the heads of a rat and a rabbit held by a French collector.
The whereabouts of the others is unknown, he said.
Following the exhibition here, which is to last three months, the sculptures, together with bronze utensils and stone Buddha statues, will be displayed in Japan, France and Greece next year, he said.
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