United States returns stolen artefacts to Cambodia
The United States have given back 30 artefacts that were allegedly stolen by a late antiquities dealer, who had been accused of leading a trafficking network that resold objects that were looted from the country.
Among the objects that were officially returned to the country was a 10th-century sculpture of the Hindu god Skanda atop a peacock.
Deeming the work a “masterpiece,” authorities in New York alleged that the late antiquities dealer Douglas Latchford had stolen the sculpture in 1997 and subsequently sold it for $1.5 million.
The Skanda sculpture had come from the ancient Khmer capital of Koh Ker, which is also where a 10th-century sculpture of Ganesha that allegedly passed through Latchford’s hands was once located.
The Ganesha sculpture was also given back to Cambodia, along with several other artefacts.
While the US District Attorney’s office did not place a monetary value on the artefacts, the works returned were of great spiritual and artistic significance.
Ricky J. Patel, a special agent with Homeland Security, said in a statement, “These antiquities we returned were ripped from their country. Beyond their extraordinary beauty and craftsmanship, many are sacred artefacts pried from temples and palaces to be smuggled across borders and peddled by those seeking profit, without any regard to the intangible value they have to the people of their homeland.”
The artefacts are due to go on display in a museum in Cambodia later this year.
Image credits: Getty Images