Met to Return Looted Treasures to Cambodia, Thailand

New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art on December 15 announced that it will repatriate sixteen Khmer-era antiquities to Cambodia and Thailand. The objects, fourteen of which belong to the former country and two to the latter, were likely taken from their homelands in the 1970s or after during times of civil unrest, entering the museum’s collection through donor and collector Douglas A. J. Latchford, who theNew York Timesreports was indicted on charges of illegal trafficking shortly before he died in 2020.

A number of the repatriated works will remain on view at the Met, where they will be accompanied by wall labels explaining their status.RelatedBRITISH MUSEUM’S DEPUTY DIRECTOR DEPARTS IN WAKE OF THEFT INQUIRYNANCY BROOKS BRODY (1962–2023) The repatriation followed a sustained pressure campaign by Cambodia to get its antiquities back, which led to the launch of an investigation by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and Homeland Security Investigations. The Met cooperated in the effort. Castigated for its routine failure to perform due diligence before acquiring artworks and artifacts, the museum earlier this year revealed that it wasassemblinga four-person provenance research team to review its collection and examine policies currently in place with the goal of returning illegally obtained items. “The Met has been diligently working with Cambodia and the US Attorney’s Office for years to resolve questions regarding these works of art, and new information that arose from this process made it clear that we should initiate the return of this group of sculptures,” said Met director Max Hollein in a statement. Hollein further noted that the museum is committed to seeking partnerships with Cambodia and Thailand “that will advance the world’s understanding and appreciation of Khmer art, and we look forward to embarking on this new chapter together.” Some of the returned objects are prime examples of Angkor-period sculpture.NPRreported that a large stone Buddha head dating to the seventh century and a tenth-century sandstone goddess statue unearthed at the Koh Ker archaeological site are among the repatriated items..