The catalog of the gallery of the Imperial Hermitage published in 1889 and returned to Russia on Wednesday
Photo: Dmitry Dukhanin
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U.S. Returns Rare Book to Russia
The United States has returned a valuable book from the collection of Emperor Alexander III to Russia, RIA Novosti information agency reports. A ceremony was held at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow on October 22 to mark the event. Viktor Petrakov, head of the department for the preservation of cultural treasures at federal cultural preservation agency Rosokhrankultury said that the book was a catalog of the gallery of the Imperial Hermitage published in 1889. It had disappeared from the Gatchinsky Palace Museum during the Second World War.
U.S. Ambassador John Beyrle said that it is unknown how the book came to the U.S. It was eventually offered for auction on a website, where Rosokhrankultury personnel took notice of it. They reported it to the embassy, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security confiscated the book, which had a starting price in the auction of $2000. Petrakov said the bidding could have reached into the tens of thousands of dollars. The book is one of the first examples of art criticism in Russia. This edition was specially created for the imperial library. Petrkaov noted that this was the latest of several case of the return of cultural treasures from the U.S.
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