A bust of Tutankhamun is due to be auctioned in London on Thursday, despite calls from Egyptian officials for the sale to be postponed over speculation that the artefact was stolen.
The 28.5cm-high quartzite statue is expected to fetch more than £4m (€4.4m) at sale at Christie’s auction house on Thursday evening.
According to the listing, the piece was of the the ancient Egyptian god of the sun and air, Amen, with the facial features of ancient boy pharaoh Tutankhamun.
But Egyptian authorities have been calling for an investigation into the legitimacy of the sale, later suggesting the bust was stolen from Karnak Temple in Luxor.
Christie’s says the 3,000-year-old bust is being sold from the Resandro Collection, a private collection of Egyptian art, that was sold in part in 2016 for more than £3m (€3.3m).
