On the issue of return Sculptors of the Parthenonwith his recent initiative British Institute for Digital Archeology (IDA). Known, among other things, for his highly accurate replicas of the Elginia (and which he proposes to place in British museum to return the originals to Greece), the Institute undertook the monumental task of creating a tiny miniature of one of the Sculptures, which it secretly placed in an unknown location in Duvin Gallery. In order not so much to upset the leaders of the fund, but to revive the dialogue on the repatriation of Greek antiquities.

“We used the TPL two-photon laser lithography method, which is essentially a nanoscale version of 3D printing.” says “K” director of IDA Roger Mitchell, revealing the method of making a miniature copy of the sculpture, which is nothing more than the head of a horse from the chariot of the Moon, which stood on the eastern pediment of the Parthenon. “With this particular technique,” ​​Mitchell continues, “the laser engraves the sculpture onto a very small piece of lightfast resin, which is then exposed to a cleaning agent that removes excess material, leaving the sculpture complete. Our “moon horse” is so small that a hundred can fit in a grain of rice.

In fact, the horse head miniature is 19 micrometers long. According to Roger Mitchell, the Institute staff placed it on April 14, around 2:10 pm, “in a public, highly symbolic location in the Duveen Gallery, away from any Greek antiquities.” More director does not reveal for obvious reasons. However, speaking about the motives for such an activist action, he explains that the Institute wanted to stimulate reflection on the importance of the material dimension of ancient monuments compared to their intangible properties. “More than that,” adds Mitchell, “we wanted to explore the concept of control over historic properties. There are sculptures in the British Museum that he has stolen and is not returning. Now, thanks to us, he also has a sculpture that was forcibly placed in his premises and which he has no right to remove.”

“There are sculptures in the museum that he stole and is not returning. Now he also has a sculpture that was forcibly placed in his premises, and he does not have the authority to remove it, ”says Roger Mitchell.

So the miniature horse is so well hidden that people in the British Museum would have to work hard – perhaps unfairly – to find it? OUR “K” asked for a comment from a British institution, and not only did it not deny it, but responded with characteristic British phlegm: “We are aware,” said the spokesman, “that a group called the Institute of Digital Archeology claims to have placed a small copy of the Horse of the Moon – part of the Parthenon sculptures – somewhere in the British Museum, but we have not found evidence of this. Unlike the miniature copy, whose current whereabouts are unknown, the real sculpture is easy to find and is on public display in the British Museum for visitors.”

Phantom…

The employees of the Institute were not without humor either. Leaving the Duveen Gallery that day, after placing a miniature horse on the… bruises, they left a white glove on the bench. The mysterious “Ghost” in The Curse of the Pink Panther also left behind a white glove, so the Institute’s move seemed to send a concrete message to the British Museum: if the miniature is this film’s elusive gem, you are Inspector Clouseau.

However, Roger Mitchell has other types of activities that he can recommend. On 19 May, he will host a Sculpture-themed dramatization at Winchester College, Hampshire. “It seems incredible to me that no one has ever seriously explored the remedies available to the Hellenic Republic,” he says, summarizing some of the legal arguments about how to convince an opponent and how to gain confidence with him. “The virtual court will be led by a team of lawyers from the US and the UK,” he concludes, “who will study these arguments in detail. This event could set a precedent for future lawsuits. At least we hope so.”