Council in dispute with Egyptian Government and Arts Council over artifact sale

Northampton Borough Council is embroiled in rows with the Egyptian Government and the Arts Council over its proposed sale of an ancient funerary statue.

The statue, named Sekhemka, up for sale in the hope of raising money to improve local galleries and museums. The statue was left to the council by the Marquis of Northampton in 1880 and has since been displayed at city museum.

Egypt’s antiquities minister Mamdouh El-Damati has objected to the sale at Christie’s auction house, calling it incompatible with the values and role of museums worldwide.

A Northampton spokeswoman said: “We contacted the Egyptian Government two years ago regarding our plans to sell Sekhemka.

“According to Unesco’s 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, Egypt has no right to claim the recovery of the statue, as the statue left Egypt before this convention was put in place and this was confirmed by the Egyptian Government on June 15.”

Arts Council England has also warned that the museum could lose its place on its Accreditation Scheme if the sale goes through, making it ineligible for a range of future grants and funding. Scott Furlong, from Arts Council England told the BBC: Those who choose to approach the sale of collections... with little regard for the sectoral standards or their long-term responsibilities will only further alienate both key funders and the public who put their trust in them to care for our shared inheritance. As a result of this decision, we will be assessing Northampton Museum's accreditation status in the coming months."

David Mackintosh, leader of Northampton Borough Council, said that the council had kept Arts Council England informed of its plans and said that there was "no reason why we should not retain our accredited status".

A public consultation rejected the council's original idea of using the sale proceeds to restore Delapre Abbey, a local monument.

Only 51% of respondents supported selling the statue, but among those 71% felt that if it were sold the money should go to local museums and galleries.