Long-lost gold tablet returns to the Museum of the Ancient Near East of the National Museums in Berlin
Press release from 12/04/2013
Today in New York, a three-thousand-year-old gold tablet from Assur, which had been lost by the Museum of the Ancient Near East in the turmoil at the end of the war, was returned to the museum. The handover took place in Nassau County Surrogate's Court, presided over by Judge Edward W. McCarty.
The tablet is a foundation document from the Temple of Ishtar in Assur. It is dated to the reign of King Tukulti-Ninurta I (1243-1207 BC). The tablet (inventory number VA Ass 994) is made of gold and has the following dimensions: 2.6 x 4 cm, max. 0.1 cm thick, weight 9.5 g. It was discovered on 25 September 1913 and has been part of the collection of the Berlin Museum of the Ancient Near East since 1926. From 1945/46 it was considered lost. A few years ago it turned up in the estate of Riven Flamenbaum in the USA. According to family tradition, he had acquired it from a Russian soldier on the black market shortly after the end of the war. Flamenbaum himself was a Holocaust survivor. A member of the community of heirs, his son Israel, gave the Berlin museum the decisive clue as to the whereabouts of the plaque in his father's estate.
Hermann Parzinger says: "The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation has the task of recovering collections lost during the war. We therefore welcome the court's decision. I would like to thank Israel Flamenbaum in particular for his exemplary and responsible handling of the object, which impressed us greatly. I would also like to thank the "amici curiae" who supported our application to the court. I was also particularly touched by the support of the Holocaust Art Restitution Project and the Jewish Community of Vienna."
At the handover, lawyer Raymond J. Dowd (Dunnington Bartholomew and Miller LLP) thanked everyone involved on behalf of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and said:
"My name is Raymond J. Dowd of Dunnington Bartholow and Miller LLP. With me in the courtroom today is attorney John Fisher of Hamburger Weinschenk and Fisher PC. On behalf of the Museum we would like to thank the court for the opportunity to express the Museum's gratitude for the safe and orderly return of this valuable Tablet and for a happy end to this long journey. As Dr Ralf Wartke has certified, the Tablet is safe and intact and will be securely guarded on its journey to Berlin.
Our kindest thanks to all who are here in the courtroom. We hope that this ceremony will help to heal wounds of the Holocaust, wounds that run deep, and wounds that continue to hurt many families. The Museum expresses its sincerest sympathies for that suffering.
On April 20, 2006, attorney David T. Reilly, who is based in Mineola New York, wrote to the Museum on behalf of his client Israel Flamenbaum. Mr Flamenbaum's attorney informed the Museum that provenance research suggested that the Tablet may have been part of the Museum's inventory. It was Mr Reilly's letter, and Mr Israel Flamenbaum's sharing of provenance research with the Museum, that enabled the Museum to locate, identify and retrieve the Tablet. The Museum thanks Mr Flamenbaum for sharing this crucial information and for permitting the Museum to reclaim an important piece of the world's heritage. The museums of the world are thankful for the selfless efforts of those, like Mr Flamenbaum, who assist public institutions in carrying out their mission.
The Museum also acknowledges the contribution of the late Fritz Weinschenk. Fritz, an American war hero who had been wounded at Omaha Beach, led the Museum's legal team through the appellate process in New York. Because he was Jewish, Fritz was driven from his German homeland by Nazi hatred and came to America and joined the war effort. After the war, he worked with the U.S. prosecution team trying war criminals at Nuremberg. Fritz died shortly after his successful argument before the Appellate Division, Second Department where he secured a decision awarding the return of the Tablet. More information on Fritz's extraordinary life may be found at a New York Times link provided in the written statement. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9406E2D71E3AF932A35757C0A9649D8B63&smid=pl-share
At the Court of Appeals level, the Museum wishes to thank the amici curiae (or 'friends of the court') who saw how important the return of the Tablet was to the Museum. These friends included prominent archeologists, museum professionals and scholars. But the friends of the court whom the Museum wishes to see especially acknowledged are the Holocaust Art Restitution Project and the IKG Wien (Jewish Community in Vienna). This important and credible support contributed in an important way to the perception of the Court of Appeals and to the public of the importance of the Tablet's return.
The Museum's mission, by law, is to 'ensure access to [...] cultural heritage in the public interest for the purposes of science, education and cultural exchanges between nations'. The Tablet will be returned to one of the world's great museums. Many may know the Pergamon Museum, which is located on Museum Island, in Berlin and houses the world-famous Ishtar Gate of Babylon. The Near East Asian Museum is found inside the Pergamon Museum. The public will soon be invited to view the Tablet in the context of the objects with which it was excavated.
The Tablet is unique. Its value to original scholarship is immeasurable. It is not a piece of jewellery. The Tablet is actually a 'public document' used in the Assyrian culture in the construction of temples. In this case, the Tablet contains an inscription from the Emperor Tukulti-Ninurta. It was found with other objects, such as seashells, that the Assyrians collected from the borders of their kingdom and that give us today important clues about the ideas that Assyrians had about God and cosmology. The use of different metals and materials tell us much about Assyrian concepts of cosmological diversity. The Museum has an exhibition on this topic to launch in 2018 and it hopes to welcome many New Yorkers in celebration and in study of this amazing culture.
Many items are still missing from the Museum. The Museum hopes that others will someday show the courage of Mr Israel Flamenbaum and reach out to the Museum to help its staff in accomplishing its scholarly and cultural mission. We, and the scholars of the world, will welcome you with open arms."
The translation of the inscription reads:
"Tukulti-Ninurta,
king of the whole, king of Assur,
son of Salmanassar,
king of the land of Assur:
When the temple of (the goddess) Di-
nitu, my mistress,
the Ilu-šuma,
a king who preceded me,
had been built - this temple
had fallen into ruin and
had become old.
I removed its rubble
(and)
dug down to the bottom
of its ground.
From its foundations
to its battlements I renewed it (and)
I laid down my memorial inscription
. May a future prince
remove its decay (and)
put my written name (back) in its place.
(Then) (God) Assur will answer his prayers."