Amarna Princess statement
Please note
If you have questions about the statue or the drawings involved in this case please contact:
Alf Atkinson
Senior Media Officer
Bolton Town Hall
Bolton
Lancashire
BL1 1RU
UK
Email: alf.atkinson@bolton.gov.uk
Telephone: 01204 331023
The case surrounding the Greenhalgh family, the fake Amarna Princess statuette and the fake Morans and has been of significant interest both nationally and internationally. The following information is intended to provide details about the sequence of events that led to the recent court case.
The fake Morans
A sketch and a watercolour purporting to be by Thomas Moran were acquired by Bolton Museum in 1993 and 1994. The former was given as a gift by the Greenhalghs the latter was purchased for £10,000.
Half of this money was given by the Victoria and Albert Museum art purchase fund the other by Bolton Museum.
Expert approval
There were few comparable objects to compare the statue to, apart from a statue in the Louvre Museum in Paris. For this reason the statue’s provenance (ownership history) played an important part in the authentication of the statue
Experts at the British Museum also concluded that it was a genuine piece.
These valuations were sought by Bolton Museum staff in accordance with best practice as laid down in the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council guidelines. The statue and drawings were evaluated in accordance with museum practice and the demands of the funding bodies.
The statue was subsequently purchased from the Greenhalghs in 2003 for £440,000.
Funding
The money was provided by the following funding bodies:
- National Heritage Memorial Fund - £360,000
- The Art Fund - £75,000
- Friends of Bolton Museum - £2,500
- J B Gass Trust - £1,500
No money was given by Bolton Council.
Sentencing
After the case went to court Shaun Greenhalgh (47) was sentenced to four and a half years in jail. Olive Greenhalgh (83) was given a twelve month suspended sentence while George Greenhalgh (84) was given a 2 year suspended sentence on the 28th January 2008..
Compensation
Bolton Council expects to receive compensation for the cost of the statue and drawings, on behalf of itself and the funding bodies.
Bolton Museum is not the only Museum or gallery involved in this case. It will never be known how much remains undetected in collections throughout the world.
