At the Gradina border crossing, the attempt of two travelers to smuggle seven valuable Orthodox icons among their personal luggage was prevented, according to the Customs statement.
The case was discovered when a car with foreign license plates, in which two men were traveling from Greece to Germany, arrived at the queue for regular control at the entrance to the Republic of Serbia.
When asked by the customs officer if they had anything to declare for customs control, the driver and his passenger said that they were only carrying personal luggage.
However, during a detailed inspection, a large suitcase with seven old icons, wrapped in white cloth, was found in the trunk of the vehicle.
After hiring experts, it was confirmed that the icons in question are of great material, historical and artistic value, most likely created at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century.
The expertise also showed that the icons were painted on wood by the hand of the same icon painter, using the egg technique with gilding in the base.
Further analysis will determine the precise age, value and origin of the confiscated icons, reports Sputnik.
