Why auction of Buddha relics was called off and why it matters – an expert in Asian art explains

By Stephen A Murphy, Pratapaditya Pal Senior Lecturer in Curating and Museology of Asian Art, SOAS, University of London

The slick online catalogue entry for “Premium Lot 1, The Piprahwa Gems of the Historical Buddha” on the Sotheby’s Hong Kong website was abruptly replaced on May 7 with a single line notification: “The auction has been postponed.”

Shortly afterwards, the associated webpages went blank. The only evidence remaining on Sotheby’s Hong Kong website was an entry on the…

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