US repatriates two looted 7th-century antiquities to China

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
10 May 23:28

The antiquities figured among 89 other looted objects from 10 different countries that were purchased by a private art collector in New York named Shelby White.

An image of one of the looted antiquities, Zoroastrian Funerary Platform, is seen in this image released by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office

In the latest wave of repatriations of stolen artifacts, the US has decided to return two looted antiquities to China, Manhattan's District Attorney announced on Tuesday.

As per a statement issued by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the antiquities in question are two 7th-century stone carvings that are currently valued at $3.5 million. They were sawn off a tomb by looters in the early 1990s and smuggled out of China.

The antiquities figured among 89 other looted objects from 10 different countries that were purchased by a private art collector in New York named Shelby White.

Following a criminal investigation launched by the city's Antiquities Trafficking Unit, the DA determined that the carvings were looted and seized after years of being displayed as "loaned" items at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

"It is a shame that these two incredible antiquities were stolen and at least one remained largely hidden from the public view for nearly three decades," Bragg said.

"While their total value is more than $3 million, the incredible detail and beauty of these pieces can never be truly captured by a price tag."

The two items were estimated to cost approximately $69 million. One of the items was reportedly kept in the museum's storage and was never put on display.

They were handed over to the Chinese consulate in New York during a repatriation ceremony.

"We regard the crackdown on crimes against cultural property a sacred mission," Chinese Consul General Huang Ping was quoted as saying in the statement by the DA's office.

In April, 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 DA Alvin Bragg.

In that same month, the city returned 12 looted antiquities to Turkey, some of the looted objects were displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Antiquities Trafficking Unit (ATU) has repatriated more than 950 antiquities stolen from 17 countries and valued at approximately $180 million.