Metropolitan Museum of Art to Return 16 Ancient Sculptures to Cambodia and Thailand

Artifacts linked to indicted dealer Douglas Latchford, part of ongoing efforts by museums to address collections containing looted objects.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City will return 16 ancient sculptures to Cambodia and Thailand, all linked to art dealer Douglas Latchford who was indicted in 2019 for illegally selling antiques.
Fourteen Khmer sculptures will be returned to Cambodia and two to Thailand. The works were made between the 9th and 14th centuries, reflecting the Hindu and Buddhist religious systems of the time.
The museum initially cooperated with the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan and the New York office of Homeland Security Investigations on the return of 13 sculptures tied to Latchford before determining there were three more that should be repatriated.
Some of the pieces being returned include a bronze sculpture called “The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara Seated in Royal Ease” made some time between the late 10th century and early 11th century, and a stone sculpture named “Head of Buddha” from the 7th century.
The Met's decision to return the artifacts comes as many museums in the U.S. and Europe reckon with collections that contain objects looted from Asia, Africa and other places during centuries of colonialism or in times of upheaval.