When two 18th-century bronzes looted by French and English troops from the Chinese emperor’s Summer Palace more than a century ago moved in to their new home on Friday, it was a proud moment for Chinese patriots.
The two statues – a rat’s head and a rabbit’s head – were put in to the National Museum in the heart of the Chinese capital – the place where Beijing keeps national treasures and where the Communist party educates its people about patriotism.
In a ceremony at the museum, François-Henri Pinault, the French luxury goods tycoon who also owns Christie’s, gave the two bronzes back to China, making good on an offer made in April which helped improve China’s relations with France and came as Christie’s gained long-delayed access to the Chinese market.