A French court rejected China’s efforts to block the auction of bronze heads of a rat and a rabbit, part of a once-magnificent fountain of Chinese zodiac animals in Beijing’s Summer Palace, which were said to have been looted by pillaging French and British troops in 1860, during the Second Opium War.

Five of the 12 heads have been recovered and are now displayed in a Beijing museum.

“The State Administration of Cultural Heritage has formally informed the auctioneer of our strong opposition to the auction and clearly demanded its cancellation,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said during a news conference.

The auction, from the estate of French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, continued Tuesday. The bronzes are estimated to be worth nearly $13 million.

Posted: 02|25|09 at 10:06 am. Filed under: Auction News.