'Stolen' Tutankhamun relic sells for $8.5 million despite Egyptian outcry

A 3,000-year-old quartzite head of Egyptian "Boy King" Tutankhamun was auctioned off for $6 million on Thursday in London despite an outcry from Cairo.

Egypt says the relic was stolen and should never have been auctioned. Source: Christie's Auction House

Christie's auction house sold the 28.5-centimetre (11-inch) relic for £4,746,250 (around AU$8.5 million) at one of its most controversial auctions in years.

No information about the buyer was disclosed.

The famous pharaoh's finely-chiselled face -- its calm eyes and puffed lips emoting a sense of eternal peace -- came from the private Resandro Collection of ancient art that Christie's last auctioned off 2016 for £3 million.

But angry Egyptian officials wanted Thursday's sale halted and the treasure returned.

Christie's decision "contradicts international agreements and conventions," Egypt's foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

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