Czech musicians have had to return old Italian stringed
instruments belonging to the Czech state to the vaults of the
National Museum in Prague because of fears they could be impounded
abroad. Among those affected are violinist Jan Talich and cellist
Petr Prause of the Talich Quartet, who had to hand in their
Stradivari violin and Grancino cello, although they will still be
allowed to perform on the instruments in concerts within the Czech
Republic.
The move to recall the instruments and other valuable items of
cultural heritage that are out on loan comes after developments in
a long-running arbitration battle between the government and Diag
Human, a blood plasma company. Courts in Vienna and Paris recently
recognised a 2008 Czech arbitration court ruling that the
government owed Diag Human $500m as compensation for claiming in
1992 that the company was suspected of illegal activities,
resulting in it losing a government contract. In an attempt to
enforce the claim, Austrian authorities seized two Czech paintings,
together worth an estimated $877,000, from Vienna's Belvedere
Gallery.
The Czech government, which refused to recognise the original 2008
ruling, is appealing the Vienna and Paris court rulings, but has
moved swiftly to ensure that other valuable artworks and cultural
assets cannot be used as collateral to force it to pay up.
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