NEW YORK — The United States has returned two eighth-century bronze Buddhist statues stolen from Indonesia, U.S. authorities said, marking the latest repatriation of cultural artifacts recovered through investigations into international antiquities trafficking.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said the standing bronze sculptures depicting Avalokiteshvara were formally handed over to Indonesian officials during a repatriation ceremony at the Indonesian Consulate in New York.
According to prosecutors, the statues were looted from archaeological sites in Indonesia decades ago by an organized network before being sold by the late antiquities dealer Douglas Latchford to an American collector. The collector voluntarily surrendered 34 Cambodian and Southeast Asian antiquities in late 2021, including the two Indonesian sculptures, as part of an ongoing investigation into illicit trafficking.
"Today, we celebrate the return of Indonesia's cultural heritage to the Indonesian people," U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement, adding that his office would continue working with Homeland Security Investigations to combat the illegal trade in stolen cultural property.
The Justice Department said the statues, measuring about 16 and 20 inches (41 and 51 cm) tall, were the subject of a civil forfeiture case filed in federal court in New York. Authorities said Latchford concealed the artifacts' illicit origins when selling them between 2003 and 2007.
Latchford was indicted in 2019 on charges related to an alleged scheme to traffic looted Southeast Asian antiquities, but the case was dismissed following his death in 2020. U.S. authorities said investigations into stolen cultural property and efforts to repatriate artifacts continue.
