Overview
- The museum formally transferred custody on Dec. 8 in a ceremony with Thai and U.S. officials, including Ambassador Suriya Chindawongse and San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.
- The bronze figures were taken in the mid-1960s from a temple site in northeastern Thailand and spent more than five decades in the museum’s collection after acquisition by founding collector Avery Brundage.
- Provenance findings arose from a multi-year U.S. Homeland Security inquiry and extensive fieldwork by Thai scholars and museum curators, including interviews with villagers and former looters.
- Investigators linked the objects to dealer Douglas Latchford, later indicted for trafficking Southeast Asian antiquities, strengthening the case for return.
- The Asian Art Commission approved the repatriation in a two-stage vote in September 2024 and on April 22, 2025, and Thai authorities will now handle transport and reintegration, with experts noting related pieces likely remain dispersed worldwide.