Manhattan repatriates 11th century looted artifact to Cambodia
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The Khmer Lintel, characterized by carvings of celestial deities dancing together, represents support for a temple door. The deities are also known as apsaras in Hindu and Buddhist cultures.
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The Khmer Lintel, seized in Manhattan to be returned to Cambodia taken on March 31, 2023 (Manhattan DA Office)
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced plans to return the Khmer Lintel, an 11th-century structure that was looted from Cambodia during the 1990s and smuggled into Thailand - in a campaign of artifact repatriation that has been ongoing for the past few months.
The Khmer Lintel, characterized by carvings of celestial deities dancing together, represents support for a temple door. The deities are also known as apsaras in Hindu and Buddhist cultures.
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After arriving in Thailand, according to Bragg's office, it was sold to an American collector who took it to Manhattan and featured it in a private collection until it was seized and taken last October.
In a statement, Bragg said: “This is a beautiful piece that has been sitting in a private collection and hidden from the public view due to the actions of selfish looters,” adding: “We will continue to make clear that stolen antiquities passing through Manhattan will be tracked down and returned to their countries of origin.”
In response, per the DA's office, the Cambodian Ambassador to the United States Keo Chhea said: "I call on public collectors to return any stolen artifacts they have to the people of Cambodia, which would help our citizens heal from decades of trauma and restore our cultural soul,”
Amid Bragg's busy schedule tackling former US president Donald Trump's indictment and filing over 30 charges against him, the district attorney has been carrying out a set of repatriation efforts recently.
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Just three days ago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York announced that 15 sculptures, trafficked by Subhash Kapoor who owned the former Manhattan-based gallery Art of the Past, will be returned to the Indian government - per orders from Bragg.
Last week, the Manhattan District Attorney's office announced that it returned 12 looted antiquities to Turkey, some of the looted objects were displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is undergoing investigation this week after a report came out showing that over 1,000 objects in its collection were looted.
According to the DA's office, and under the DA's orders, the Antiquities Trafficking Unit (ATU) has repatriated more than 950 antiquities stolen from 17 countries and valued at approximately $180 million.
