Bonhams London has withdrawn 10 artifacts from an antiquities sale scheduled for today, after a last-minute request from the Italian government, the New York Times reports. Italian politician Francesco Rutelli raised questions about the provenance of the vases and sculptures, valued at roughly $350,000, last week. Giovanni Nistri, the head of the Italian military police's art theft squad, said the unit is now reviewing whether the items had been "stolen or illegally excavated."

Robert Brooks, Bonhams's chairman, said that the house was "always happy to cooperate with any action that limits the chance of items being sold that should not be sold." He did, however, chide the Italian government for not giving "more advanced warning and information about concerns they have."