I remember when the first 3 went at auction in Hong Kong, Stanley Ho's purchase a few years later and now this. Then, as now, I've always thought the same: There is nothing elegant, winsome, refined, playful and/or attractive about these these bronzes...they're just freakishly ugly. Frankly, Mr. Berger should have kept them; if you've seen photos of that overstuffed Paris apartment, they're a much better fit there.

There is no such thing as "objective worth" of a commodity. Everything depends on demand and supply. If there is a high demand for these heads, then they will be pricey. That's it. But of course I'll be glad if the market demand for the heads goes down.

sounds like sour grapes to me.

though it's no secret that a large part of the sculptures' value derives from the historical controversies surrounding their removal from the Yuanmingyuan and continued sale on the international art market.

The value of these heads, as with any other commodity, is what someone is willing to pay for them, and that price has been accurately established by the auction process.

Prior to 2000 sales of this heds took place in obscurity and for much lower prices. But since then the Chinese government has chosen to give them much publicity by issuing demands and threats every time a head has come up for sale, and used proxies to pay whatever was necessary to ensure their repatriation, thus driving up the prices.

In short, the government is a victim of its own highly mendacious account of historical events and the hullabaloo it has itself created around them. Luo's comments are no different from earlier equally dimwitted claims that the auctions 'unreasonably' drove up prices.

China apparently failed to acquire the heads at the Paris auction, and Luo's remarks are nothing more than sour grapes, and part of the massive humbug surrounding the whole business.

It is a sour grapes indeed, yes the government is not SMART enough to prevent this.

Damn, this is an unfair world, finally you want to do something right, but there is no way out. And then you screw the things up...

And Mr. Berger why you need this much money?? You ate fifteen meals a day??? You also have 小三to buy LV bags for?

The meaning of wealth to someone like Berge or Bill Gates is just a NUMBER, and investment or consumption is just like doing a MATH QUIZ.

So if Berge thinks it's worth 15 million, it's worth that much, if the Chinese think it's worth 1 yuan, then it is.

It's all about perspective.

It means 1 yuan for me, if i really have to buy it.And I hope Mr Berge spend his money wisely.