These antiquities were stolen from India, and now US will soon return them

Seven rare antiques that were smuggled out of India to the US have been recovered from the Honolulu Museum of Art. The antiques were allegedly stolen by notorious art dealer Subhash Kapoor.

According to the US authorities, the museums was not aware that the period pieces were stolen when they were added to the collection between 1991 and 2003. The US officials are expected to return these objects to the Indian government.

As per the ET report, officials learnt that the 2000 year old terracotta rattle that was in Kapoor’s art gallery in New York City has been taken to the museum’s collection.

On investigation, six other antiques including figurines, architectural fragments, and tiles in possession of the museum were discovered to be smuggled. It should be noted that Kapoor was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice and was arrested in late 2011 in Germany. He was later extradited to India and is currently awaiting trial.

"Looting is a serious problem in the art market and all buyers of art, including museums, need to be mindful that some antiquities have been illegally obtained," Honolulu Museum of Art director Stephan Jost said in the report.

"Over the past several years, American art museums have become progressively more rigorous in vetting the history of objects they acquire. Clearly the museum could have done better in the past. We hope that bringing attention to this problem and doing the right thing will help reduce looting of cultural objects. Partnering with HSI is the most effective way to combat this ongoing issue," Jost added.

In 2007, the Indian consulate to the US, had requested HIS’s assistance in investigating and recovering several artifacts that were smuggled from India to New York. By the mid of 2012, the HIS agents by the end of July 2012, had recovered several antiques worth $100 million.

The stolen artifact included a five foot tall head of Buddha, a life-sized stone figure, a bronze sculpture of goddess Parvati which is estimated to be about $2.5 million and 2nd century BC Bharhut Stupa Yaksi pillar sculpture valued at nearly USD 18 million.
Representational Image: Indiatimes.com