Last week, this publication reported that the British Museum has struck a deal to send the Elgin Marbles to Greece on a “permanent loan” — an extraordinary decision which, in the event, will likely be irreversible.
The Elgin Marbles, also known as the Parthenon Sculptures, are a collection of classical Greek marble sculptures that once adorned the Parthenon and other buildings on the Acropolis in Athens.
They came to be here because the then British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Lord Elgin, lawfully obtained around half of the surviving sculptures from the Turkish authorities between 1801 and 1812. Later the Government purchased the collection and entrusted it to the British Museum.
In fact, Elgin saved these sculptures, as they probably would have been lost forever, for the Parthenon descended into a convenient place to dump ammunition and conduct target practice for riflemen (!), regardless of the damage done. Unsurprisingly, the Ottomans had little regard for Greek antiquity, with consequences ranging from neglect to destruction; they even chose to grind down the marbles to sell the resulting powder for lime.
Since Elgin’s transaction was entirely above board at the time, why, so many years later, is it now disputed? Perhaps because many of those with power (even alleged conservatives) have become preoccupied with restitution and repatriation. Their arguments find form in empty gestures and vacuous symbolism, concocted to “make right” past “wrongs” based on a primitive grasp of Britain’s history. In particular, such guilt fuelled zealots see our island story as “dishonourable” and perceive colonialism through the distorting lens of liberal prejudice.
Any talk of negotiating the return of these marbles in exchange for some other treasure is a huge mistake and — with bitter irony — will open a Pandora’s Box. As Greece claims full ownership of the marbles, it is wishful thinking to believe any transaction will be just a loan. The departure of these special artefacts from the British Museum is not so much a farewell as a goodbye.
They are not only Greek, but part of Western civilisation
In a recent parliamentary debate about the marbles, I pointed out they are not only Greek, but part of Western civilisation. After all, are we to return every Canaletto that’s here to Italy, or request every Hockney is brought back from abroad? Of course not.
It appears the British Museum will cunningly exploit a “moral obligation” clause in the 2022 Charities Act, and the “permanent loan” exemption within the British Museum Act 1963.
To counter this, both loopholes should be closed and replaced with a requirement for any artefact to be moved, permanently or semi-permanently, only after specific parliamentary approval.
The liberal left will doubtless meet this suggestion with disdainful resistance. So, the question is will the Government commit to standing in the way of such a deal with the Greek Government? Or will Britain, under their stewardship, surrender to the unholy alliance of those blinded by ignorance and poisoned by self-loathing?
The unpromising post-Chagos context may provide the answer. We learn this week that David Lammy is close to cutting a deal with Spain on Gibraltar. Such is this Government’s permissive view of sovereignty that presumably even the Falklands may not be safe from Argentine ambitions.
Do Government Ministers have such a peculiar view of the national interest that, if the Elgin Marbles go, then much of the content from the British Museum could go — meaning treasures from any other institution, like the National Gallery, will be up for grabs?
The paradox could not be more glaring. The Culture Secretary insists there are no plans to amend the British Museum Act 1963 — a tacit admission that parliamentary approval is still the rightful gatekeeper of our national treasures. Yet, under Labour’s watch, a deal is proceeding that will see the Elgin Marbles removed from Britain through a legal backdoor, without so much as a vote or formal consent.
If ministers refuse to enforce the spirit of the law while hiding behind its letter, they are complicit in a betrayal dressed up as diplomacy. This is not lawful stewardship — it is a deliberate abdication from Ministers who appear to have lost their marbles.
