by Jon Lackman | 19 May 2008 | Uncategorized
From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
A well-known art historian from Thailand who was indicted in a federal investigation into looted antiquities died Wednesday at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac, apparently after a heart attack. Roxanna Brown, a 62-year-old U.S. citizen … was the first person arrested as part of a five-year, undercover investigation into smuggled Thai artifacts at some Southern California museums and galleries … Brown had been the director of the Southeast Asian Ceramics Museum at Bangkok University, which holds more than 2,000 ancient ceramics. She had been lecturing worldwide on the significance that shipwrecked Asian ceramics have in detailing the histories of ancient kingdoms. A proponent of proper excavation and documentation of artifacts, Brown told a Malaysian newspaper last year that antiques buyers should look at “published finds” only from specific sites … According to UCLA’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Brown holds a doctorate in art history from the university.
