ALBANY, New York —Following their connection to an art dealer and collector who is suspected of operating a vast antiquities trafficking network out of Southeast Asia, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York announced on Friday that it will return more than a dozen ancient artworks to Cambodia and Thailand.
The most recent return of artwork occurs at a time when many museums in the US and Europe are dealing with collections that include artifacts that were taken during centuries of colonization or during turbulent times and were looted from Asia, Africa, and other regions.
The Manhattan Museum announced that fourteen Khmer sculptures would be sent back to Cambodia and two to Thailand.
Reuniting the ancient pieces with their rightful owners was associated with prominent art dealer Douglas Latchford, who was charged in 2019 with masterminding a multiyear scheme to resell stolen Cambodian art on the global art market. Latchford had denied any involvement in smuggling; he passed away the following year.
Before deciding that three more sculptures needed to be returned home, the museum worked with the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office and the Homeland Security Investigations office in New York to return 13 sculptures connected to Latchford.
“Evidenced by the announcement made today, components associated with the examination of Douglas Latchford persistently surface,” HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan stated in a statement on Friday. “The Metropolitan Museum of Art has offered to return these 13 shamelessly stolen Khmer artefacts to their rightful owners, the People of Cambodia, as part of their ongoing cooperation. They have also acknowledged the significance of these artefacts.”
their custody, which they afterwards brought back to Cambodia. 77 pieces of jewellery, including necklaces, earrings, crowns, and other pieces made of gold and other precious metals, were sent back to their native country in February. In September 2021, additional artefacts made of stone and bronze were given back.
According to the museum, the most recent pieces that were returned from the Metropolitan Museum of Art were created during the Angkorian period, between the ninth and the fourteenth centuries, and they depict the prevalent Buddhist and Hindu religious systems of the time.
From the ninth to the fifteenth centuries, the region that is now Cambodia was home to the powerful kingdom of Angkor. The northwest of the country is home to the Angkor Wat temple complex, where visitors can view artefacts from that era.
A bronze sculpture titled “The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara Seated in Royal Ease” which was created sometime between the late 10th and early 11th centuries is one of the items being returned. The “Head of Buddha,” a stone work of art from the seventh century, will also be returned. While plans are being made for their return, ten of the pieces are still on display in the museum’s galleries.
The museum stated that there is no set date for the pieces to be returned.
The museum has already started conducting research on the ownership history of its artifacts, with a particular focus on the origins of Nazi-looted artwork that was traded in Germany-occupied Europe.
The museum’s research also focuses on ancient art and cultural property, particularly on the objects’ discovery and subsequent ownership.
