Zhanggong Zushi Statue and Buddhist Monk Mummy
Zhanggong Zushi Statue and Buddhist Monk Mummy

Year of Object(s) Creation: 1100 AD
Estimated Value ($USD):
Object Type(s): Human Remains, Religious artifact, Statue
Object Material(s): human remains, paper, papier-mâché
Provenience Nation: China
Provenience Location: Yangchun, Fujian Province, China
Year Removed from Findspot: 1995

Provenance

Start Year: 1996
End Year:
Circumstance of Acquisition: Sale
Nation: Netherlands
Location: Private Collection

Chinese Mummy Of Buddhist Monk Encased In Zhanggong Zushi Statue


Description:
1,000-Year-Old Mummified Buddhist Monk Encased in Buddha Staute

Case Status: Object(s) not relinquished
Year Claim Initiated: 2015
Year Claim Resolved:
Means of Resolution: Litigation

Complainant Name: Government of China
Complainant Nation: China
Complainant Nation Economy: In Transition
Complainant Type: Public: Government

Respondent Name: Private Collector Oscar van Overeem
Respondent Nation: Netherlands
Respondent Nation Economy: Developed
Respondent Type: Private: Individual

Reference Links:
Files:

Editor's Notes:
- Stolen from village in 1995, but litigation start in 2015
- For provenance, I put ""personal collection"" although it was in Drents Museum for some time since a personal collector bought it and had ownership of it
- Does not seem to have been settled or repatriated - lawsuit started June 2016
- Unsure about complainant type - a group of villagers have hired several lawyers for the case
- Estimated value (20-30 million) shows how much the private collector demanded from Chinese Government
- Provenance start date - used August, although couldn't find exact date of purchase "mid 1996"