LONDON: A cousin of the ruler of Qatar has launched a lawsuit against a major art dealer in London following a million-dollar purchase of statues that was allegedly “too good to be true.”
Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al-Thani launched a lawsuit against John Eskenazi after a deal worth £4.2 million ($5 million) in which the Qatari believes he was sold fake pieces.
He believes that Eskenazi sold seven fakes, including a carved head of the god Dionysus and a $2.2 million statue of the Hindu goddess Hari Hara, The Times reported.
The sheikh’s lawyers have told a British High Court judge that he paid “top dollar” for the statues after he was led to believe that they were up to 2,000 years old, having been hidden away for centuries in caves.
But Sheikh Hamad demanded that Eskenazi return them and cancel the deal after the Qatari believed they were not genuine. Eskenazi denies any wrongdoing.
Inspections of the artworks after purchases by the sheikh’s team raised suspicions when they found modern material, including plastic pieces, lodged inside one of the statues.
His team of experts said the preservation was beyond what would be expected for the age the works were said to be.
The sheikh says the pieces are “the work of a modern forger,” and Eskenazi knew the most expensive piece was a fake.
The sheikh is demanding a full return of the £4.2 million payment. Using his own expert, Eskenazi is countersuing to prove the validity of the works.
