Mayan tomb discovered in Belize

Our daily round up of news from the art world

Mayan tomb discovered in Belize | Archaeologists working on a site in western Belize, have discovered what they believe to be the remains of an enormous Mayan royal tomb, reports the Guardian. The find is the largest in more than a century of excavations on the ruins of Xunantunich, an ancient Mayan city thought to have been a ceremonial centre. Hieroglyphic panels on the walls of the tomb could shed light on the previously mysterious history of the old Maya dynasties who competed for supremacy in the region.

Keith Haring mural in New York apartment block ‘at risk’ from development | A mural painted by Keith Haring in the stairwell of a church-owned apartment block in Manhattan’s Morningside Heights area could vanish after tenants received an eviction order. According to DNA Info, the tenants are unaware of the church’s plans for the block, but say they have seen developers visit the building. ‘No one seems to know what will happen to [the mural],’ said tenant Robert Savina. ‘There seems to have been no provisions made.’

Stele with Persian inscription discovered in southern Russia | Russian archaeologists working on a research project on the site of Phanagoria, an ancient Greek city in Krasnodar Province, near Crimea and the Black Sea, have uncovered a stele bearing the signature of Persian king Darius I, reports The Art Newspaper. Members of the archaeological expedition, backed by billionaire Oleg Deripaska, believe that the discovery will help clarify Phanagoria’s connections with the rest of the ancient world.

Dürer print resurfaces at French flea market | Stuttgart’s Staatsgalerie has confirmed that a print given to the institution by a man who discovered it in a Sarrebourg flea market is the work of Albrecht Durer. The copperplate engraving, titled Mary Crowned by an Angel, had been missing from the Staatsgalerie since the Second World WAr. According to the BBC, the buyer, who acquired the work for just a few euros, noticed the museum’s stamp on the reverse and decided to return it. The work is reportedly in good condition.

V&A saves Hans Coper bowl for the nation | London’s Victoria & Albert Museum has acquired a rare work by the ceramic artist Hans Coper (1920–81), which was placed under a temporary export bar last November to prevent it leaving the country. The bowl was created by Coper in the mid-1950s, and is an example of the functional objects he produced before becoming renowned for his sculpture.