A bronze Hellenistic era Roman
breastplate has been withdrawn from an antiquities auction in
New York due to doubts about its provenance, Christie's said
Monday.
Among others, the piece of armour allegedly passed through the
hands of notorious Cosa Nostra-linked Swiss-based Sicilian
antiquities dealer Gianfranco Becchina, who has been convicted
of illegally trafficking looted items from tomb raiders and
others.
The artifact is currently part of the collection of British
collector Christian Levett, the largest private collection in
the world.
photo: Dancing Satyr, which late superboss Matteo Messina Denaro
allegedly ordered Becchina to steal
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