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Illicit Antiquities |
Undercover in antiquitiesProfessor David WilsonFaculty of Law and Social Sciences
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IntroductionGoing undercover as a researcher, in this case as a reporter for the BBC1 series Crime Squad is not something to be done lightly. All kinds of ethical issues have to be considered, because in the end covert research involves a form of deceit. Nonetheless as Nigel Fielding (1993, 158) observes, covert research can sometimes be justified 'on the basis that some groups, especially powerful élites would otherwise be closed to research'. One such powerful élite includes antiquities dealers, and we can see aspects of that power in the culture which surrounds their business. For example they choose to advertise a variety of impressive sounding academic and professional qualifications and, in common with most powerful élites, they are remarkably secretive. This secrecy is most apparent in relation to how they come to be in possession of the articles which they seek to sell. The ubiquitous 'The property of a Gentleman' - clearly an allusion to the culture described earlier - might re-assure some of the provenance of a particular item, but would you accept that this was all that you needed to know if you where buying a second-hand car? Context as they say is everything. [Return to top of page]What is a crime?As a criminologist I have always been fascinated by the way that some activities come to be described as legal, and others - which might do similar damage - remain legitimate. Look at drugs for instance. Smoking cannabis is quite clearly illegal, despite recent attempts to de-criminalize it, whilst alcohol remains legal and drinking one of the favourite pastimes of the British. Both do damage, but we choose to see one activity as criminal and the other as acceptable. Some of the reasons behind this double-standard are historic (and beyond the scope of this short article) but what is of interest is how powerful lobbies maintain an actual campaign to ensure that drinking is seen as culturally desirable, and how the government colludes in this process by raising revenue from the sale of alcohol. For the 'we' in the phrase 'we choose' rarely includes you and me, but rather refers to judges, magistrates, politicians, barristers and lawyers who often have very little in common with the man or woman 'in the street'. Thus 'crime' becomes a label rather than something tangible, and a label that can be applied to an activity by those who have the power to assign that label. Politicians and judges have that power, whereas you and I do not. Indeed in one sense we could abolish 'crime' tomorrow simply by removing that label from those activities which have been labelled as such. And, if you think about it, some lobbies will fight to prevent the label 'crime' or 'criminal' being applied to what they do now and in the future. [Return to top of page]Antiquities and 'crime'I've spent some time discussing the issue of 'what is crime' and 'label' as it is clear that the context and culture in which an activity takes place determines what label will be applied to that activity. The legitimate business of selling second-hand motors is culturally seen as 'dodgy' and suspect, and is perceived to be dominated by 'Del-boys'. On the other hand, art and antiquities is perceived in a totally different way, and Heaven forbid if anyone should challenge that perception. ThatŐs what I did — or at least tried to do - for Crime Squad. Going undercover, and posing as a na•ve buyer of Etruscan antiquities I was able to see, first-hand, antiquities dealers tout their wares. Asking if they could 'guarantee authenticity' routinely the salesmen - they were all men - would show me guarantee after guarantee, and trade on their 'international' reputations. On the other hand, if I asked where the article actually came from they would become misty-eyed, mentioning 'The Grand Tour', and talk in the most general, unacademic ways. Why should this be so? What should I infer from the obvious evasions of answering a simple question? If I was buying a car I would demand a log book, but seemingly in the antiquities trade all I had was someone's 'word as a gentleman'. Now all of this wouldn't be so bad if we didn't know that Etruscan tombs have been widely looted, and that the carabinieri's art squad are almost daily trying to draw attention to the international trade in stolen antiquities. 'London' - as I was informed by a tomborolo - 'is central to that trade', and he then went on to name a number of dealers off the record. Indeed a 1997 Channel 4 documentary drew attention to the fact that many unprovenanced antiquities subsequently found their way into the auction rooms of Sotheby’s (Watson 1999, 4). Crime Squad wanted to bring that picture more up to date, but ultimately was frustrated in doing so in the way that it would have wanted to by a series of issues - one of which related to the power of the antiquities trade to fend off criticism. For me as a 'punter' this is an illustration of their power, and as a criminologist simply another example of how the label 'crime' comes to be applied or not applied as the case may be. [Return to top of page]ReferencesFielding, N., 1993. Ethnography, in Researching Social Life, ed. N. Gilbert. London: Sage. Watson, P., 1999. Euphronios kylix update. Culture Without Context issue 5, 4. First posted September 2000; Page design updated September 2006 |
