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Scythian Gold (Exhibition and Court Case)

"Scythian Gold" refers to the international exhibition project "Crimea. Golden Island in the Black Sea" (2013–2014) and the lengthy international litigation in the Netherlands regarding the return of the Museum Fund of Ukraine exported for display prior to the annexation of Crimea by the russian federation.

Overview

The exhibition "Crimea. Golden Island in the Black Sea" (in the Dutch version — "Crimea: Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea") was organized in 2013 with the participation of five Ukrainian museum institutions: the Museum of Historical Treasures of Ukraine (Kyiv), the Central Museum of Taurida (Simferopol), the Bakhchysarai Historical and Cultural Preserve, the Kerch Historical and Archaeological Preserve, and the National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos (Sevastopol).

The exhibition was displayed in the Federal Republic of Germany (LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, from July 3, 2013 to January 19, 2014) and in the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Allard Pierson Archaeological Museum of the University of Amsterdam, from February 6 to May 28, 2014, later extended until August 2014). The exhibition featured 565 exhibits (2,011 inventory items) from four Crimean museums with an insured value of €1,438,625, as well as 19 exhibits from the Kyiv museum.

In March 2014, the russian annexation of Crimea took place. The 19 exhibits of the Kyiv Museum of Historical Treasures returned to Kyiv on September 4, 2014, whereas the 565 exhibits from the Crimean museums became the subject of a high-profile legal dispute in Amsterdam between the state of Ukraine, the Allard Pierson Museum, and the russian-controlled occupation museums of Crimea.

Key Details / Subtopics

  • Collection Composition and Archaeological Monuments: The exhibits cover the period from Greek colonization (6th century BCE) to the Early Middle Ages (6th–7th centuries CE). Most of the artifacts were discovered during archaeological excavations in the 2000s under permits issued by Ukraine. Among the materials are finds from ancient cities (Chersonesos, Pantikapaion, Tyritake, Arteziyan), Late Scythian burial grounds of the 3rd century BCE – 3rd century CE (Ust-Alma, Levadky), and Gothic burial grounds of the 5th–7th centuries CE (Suvlu-Kaya, Dzhurg-Oba, Neysatz, near the village of Luchyste).
  • 1st Century CE Chinese Lacquer Boxes: The highlight of the exhibition was the unique Chinese lacquer boxes from the Ust-Alma cemetery in Southwestern Crimea, restored in Japan by the world-renowned master Shosai Kitamura ("Living National Treasure of Japan").
  • Legal Position of Ukraine: The museum artifacts belong to the state portion of the Museum Fund of Ukraine and are the state property of Ukraine (Law of Ukraine "On Museums and Museum Affairs", Regulations on the Museum Fund of Ukraine, Cabinet of Ministers Order No. 113 dated March 23, 2014, and Ministry of Culture Order No. 292 dated May 13, 2014, which designated the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in Kyiv as the main custodian of the collection). This position relies on the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. Ukraine's interests in court were represented by the law firm Bergh Stoop & Sanders N.V.
  • Position of Crimean Occupation Museums and the Allard Pierson Museum: The Crimean museums insisted on returning the artifacts to Crimea based on original contracts and the principles of collection integrity. On August 20, 2014, the Allard Pierson Museum refrained from delivering the items to either party pending a court decision to avoid financial and contractual liability. Since June 13, 2014, the exhibits were considered unlawfully exported from the territory of Ukraine.
  • Amsterdam District Court Ruling (December 14, 2016): The judicial panel recognized that the exhibits are cultural property illegally located in the Netherlands and subject to return to Ukraine (to the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in Kyiv) under the 1970 UNESCO Convention.
  • Appeals Proceedings and Decision of July 16, 2019: The occupation museums appealed the decision on January 16, 2017. Following hearings on March 11, 2019, the Court of Appeal of Amsterdam issued an interim ruling on July 16, 2019, requesting additional arguments and rejecting crucial positions of the court of first instance, which delayed the final resolution of the case.