SHORT TAKES : E. German Church Relics at Issue
Art treasures allegedly pilfered by an American soldier at the end of World War II have been given to a Dallas museum while attorneys for his family and an East German church haggle over ownership of the treasure.
Attorneys for the church in Quedlinburg and for the heirs of former Army Lt. Joe T. Meador, who allegedly took the centuries-old objects, announced the agreement today at the Dallas Museum of Art.
The museum agreed to provide a “temporary, neutral safe haven,” said museum Director Richard R. Brettell in a statement. However, the pieces will not be displayed publicly until the lawsuit brought by the church is settled.
The objects to be brought to the museum include articles of gold, silver, ivory and crystal dating from the 8th to 14th centuries, the museum said.
The Lutheran church, Stiftskirche-Domgemeinde of Quedlinburg, claims that Meador, who lived in Whitewright, stole the trove while his unit was guarding a mine shaft where the items had been hidden.
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