China Gets A Head: Bronzes Raided From Summer Palace To Be Returned

The long-running bronze head saga is coming to a head: French billionaire art collector, Francois-Henri Pinault, has announced his family will return the rat and rabbit fountainheads – which they bought at a 2009 auction – to China. The sculptures are part of a series of 12 zodiac animals that were looted from Emperor Qianlong's Old Summer Palace by French and the British invaders in 1860.The China Daily suggests that the heads will be returned by the end of this year. This gesture by the Pinault family could put an end to the controversy that has surrounded the bronze heads for the past four years.

In the meantime, you can see four of the heads that were returned in the early 2000s – ox, monkey, horse and pig – at The Poly Museum.

The museum suggests you call in advance if you really want to see the heads as sometimes they are on tour. The zodiac heads will also be displayed at the Summer Palace on October 18 to mark the anniversary of its destruction, according to the China Daily.

The heads and this latest news has made waves in Western media. The New York Times did an in-depth report on the story, while Time covered them back in 2007, when the horse head was sold at an auction and later bought then donated to China by business tycoon Stanley Ho.

Photo: China Daily