Vassilious disappointed that Cypriot vase given to Thatcher ended up at auction

Former first lady Androulla Vassiliou on Thursday said she was disappointed at learning that an ancient vase, which she and her husband gave as a state gift to the former late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, was sold at Christies.

In a tweet, Vassiliou wrote: “I am sure my husband will be very disappointed. After Mrs Thatcher ceased to be PM, this ancient pottery which was a gift to the PM of the UK, should have found its place at 10, Downing street. It should certainly not be sold by her heirs. It was not a personal gift.”

The fate of the vase was discovered by art historian Maria Paphitis, who on Wednesday tweeted:

“Whilst researching #Cypriot pottery, I came across this bichrome vase that was given by President Vassiliou to Margaret Thatcher. Sold at #Christies in May ‘19, it fetched 6,000 GBP, a price significantly higher than its pre-sale estimates 700-1,000 GBP, due to its provenance #Cyprus”

George Vassiliou served as president from 1988 to 1993.

Margaret Thatcher served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.