Metropolitan Museum Of Art To Return 15 Indian Sculptures

In the latest development, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has announced that it will return 15 Indian sculptures that were found to have been trafficked. The museum released a statement indicating that all the works were sold by Subhash Kapoor, a convicted Indian-American antiquities smuggler arrested by Interpol in Germany in 2011 and imprisoned in India.

The artefacts in question include West Bengal's Yakshi Terracotta and Madhya Pradesh's sandstone Celestial Dancer (Apsara), valued at over $1 million. They range in date from the 1st century BCE to the 11th century CE and consist of stone, terracotta, copper, a ceramic pot from Chandraketugarh, the God of Love, from the second half of the 8th century CE, a stone bust of Kamadeva, and a Svetambara enthroned Jina.

According to reports, the art dealer was charged by prosecutors in Manhattan in 2019 with possessing and stealing artefacts worth millions of dollars, which had been smuggled over 30 years. In November 2022, a Tamil Nadu court sentenced Kapoor to 10 years in jail.

The museum contacted Homeland Security about its works from Kapoor in 2015 and began to take action, leading to the criminal investigation of Kapoor by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. The Met has also stated that it will be more responsible in purchasing antiquities and has implemented strict standards for new acquisitions and its existing collection. In addition, the museum expressed its commitment to respecting its long-standing association with the Indian government and was pleased to take action in this matter.

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