London gallery returns stolen works to Nepalese owners
Two artefacts that were stolen 30 years ago from a temple in Nepal have been repatriated in a ceremony at the Nepalese embassy in London.
The 16th-century carved wooden Torana, a ceremonial gateway, and the 17th-century stone statue of a kneeling devotee were both taken from a sacred site near Kathmandu, according to detective superintendent John Roch of the London Metropolitan police at the handover, which was attended by the Nepalese ambassador Gyan Chandra Acharya.
In a statement, both parties expressed “their willingness to work closely and promote the collaborative efforts for the preservation of cultural heritage.”
Both artefacts were found in the holdings of Barakat Gallery’s London branch, with the London Metropolitan police claiming that the pieces had been inherited from a deceased relative, and had been in the family’s possession for 20 years.
Barakat voluntarily relinquished the artefacts after they were determined to be the looted cultural property of Nepal.
“I am deeply committed to [supporting] Nepali efforts in protecting and repatriating its rich cultural heritage, and hope we can all continue to fight to reinstate access, agency and power over their living heritage to the Nepali people,” Emiline Smith, a professor of criminology at the University of Glasgow, wrote on Twitter.
Emiline specialises in the global illegal trade in cultural objects originating from Asia, and brought the issue to the attention of the authorities in Nepal and Interpol, which then connected with London’s police.
Nepal’s acting consul general Bishnu Prasad Gautam received the artefacts on behalf of the Nepalese government in a ceremony organised by the museum.
In a statement, Gautam called the repatriation “proactive,” adding that gallery’s cooperation has “positively contributed to Nepal’s national efforts” to recover its stolen cultural property from foreign collections.
Image credits: The Nepalese Embassy in London