In 2015, Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdullah Al Thani purchased seven artefacts believed to be from antiquity from London-based art dealer John Eskenazi. Between April 2014 and October 2015, he had paid a total of $4.9 million (£4.2 million) through Qatar Investment and Projects Holding Company (Qipco).
During the sale process, the Sheikh did not thoroughly analyze the forensic makeup and provenance of the work, believing that they had just recently been discovered in caves. Only when museums began requesting exhibitions did Qipco’s team contact Eskenazi for further details.
When these details could not be provided, the Qataris sought their own forensic experts, who found plastic and
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