[CPProt.net] AUSTRIA RETURNS WARTIME "FLYING MERCURY" TROPHY TO RUSSIA

[Museum Security Network / Cultural Property Protection Net (Ton Cremers)]

AUSTRIA RETURNS WARTIME "FLYING MERCURY" TROPHY TO RUSSIA

05/05/2005 21:08 MOSCOW, May 5 (RIA Novosti) - The statue "Flying Mercury"
stolen from the Pavlovsk estate museum, the suburbs of St.Petersburg, in the
second world war and later placed at the land museum "Johanneum in the town
of Graz, Austria, has been returned to Russia. It was received Thursday by
Boris Boyarsky, head of the Russian agency for cultural heritage, from the
hands of Austrian ambassador Martin Vukovic.

The statue Flying Mercury was cast in 1783 by order from the Empress
Catherine the Second. From the end of the 18th century to 1941, the statue,
representing the copy of Giambologna's famous work displayed at the national
museum in Florence, was one of the gems of the Pavlovsk Palace park. Before
the seizure of Pavlovsk by the Nazis, the statue was buried in the park but
after the liberation of the city could not be found.

It was only in 1979 that a Russian art critic discovered it at the art
history museum in Vienna. However, it took another 20 years to prove in May
2002 by joint Russian-Austrian expert examination that the statue did get to
Graz from Pavlovsk. This was sufficient evidence for the Russian side to
demand the retrieval of the statue.

The three sides involved in the effort to return the artwork were the
Austrian government, the Russian agency for cultural heritage and the
Russian foreign ministry.

"Today we have become witness to a singular event, both in terms of culture
and politics. The Flying Mercury will make only a stop in Moscow to land in
the final analysis in Pavlovsk where this sculpture will be ceremoniously
returned on a high political level this autumn. We are happy that we can
return this fascinating work of art to where it belongs," said the Austrian
ambassador.

"The Austrian government's decision on the eve of the 60th anniversary of
the V-Day to meet the inquiry about the return of the statue is viewed in
Moscow as another confirmation of friendly Russian-Austrian relations," said
the Russian foreign ministry's spokesman Alexander Yakovenko.