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Hungary redeemed Seuso treasure
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According to hvg.hu, Orbán Viktor announced on an extraordinary press conference that Hungary has retrieved half of the Roman period Seuso treasure on the weekend. The head of the government deems that this is Hungary’s family silver, what was redeemed for a “good price” (4.5 billion Forints), but he didn’t tell who the salesman was. Seuso treasure was found approximately 40 years ago nearby Lake Balaton, but then it disappeared.
After his announcement, Orbán Viktor unveiled seven silver bowls and a copper cauldron in the Parliament’s Delegation Room. For several minutes thereafter, only the exposure of cameras was heard.
The treasure was transported home by the employees of Counter-terrorism Center at the weekend.
The Prime Minister said that the retrieval cost 15 million Euros, which was a good deal for Hungary in his opinion. Namely because at the time when the former proprietor Lord Northhampton wanted to sell the treasure at auction in 1990, New York, the starting price was three times more than the price above.
15 million Euros roughly corresponds to those 4.5 million Forints from which the government bought some – so far kept secret – artwork for the Museum of Fine Arts. Experts previously guessed that Courbet’s nude painting was bought for the museum, but now it appears to be the Seuso treasure.
The Hungarian government pursued to recover the objects for years, but the so far negotiations were ineffective. Until now Hungary tried to prove unsuccessfully that the treasure was found here, near Polgárdi. “We have never renounced the right to possess Hungary’s ‘family silver’” – Orbán said.
The Seuso treasure was probably the property of Seuso, the onetime governor of the Roman army, who presumably had a villa by Lake Balaton (then called Lacus Pelso). The silver set consists of 15 pieces, which originates from the fourth century after Christ, was probably found by Hungarian treasure hunters who later sold the set, which turned up on international auctions afterwards. The Hungarian government started lawsuits in sequence for its recovery with no success. The treasures were sold eight years ago.