The Ministry of Culture has officially welcomed the return of two highly valued ancient artifacts by an esteemed New York museum as a significant milestone in collaboration between Thailand and the United States.
The 1,000-year-old artifacts, a bronze sculpture known as “Golden Boy” and a “Kneeling Woman” sculpture arrived on Monday and were officially handed over at a ceremony in Bangkok on Tuesday.
They had been on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) in New York and were returned under the Met’s cultural initiative launched last year. The Met is committed to the responsible collecting of antiquities and to the shared stewardship of the world’s cultural heritage.
Speaking at the ceremony, ministry permanent secretary Yupha Taweewattanakitborvon voiced her appreciation of the Met’s initiative in returning Thailand's cultural heritage. The ministry's Department of Fine Arts had been contacted by the Met in December last year for the purpose of handing over the two statues.
The department, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Met had cooperated closely in making preparations and the cabinet on May 14 ordered the ministry to accept them back.
Culture Minister Sudawan Wangsupakitkosol said the two artifacts were considered to be the property of all Thai citizens. They served as evidence of Thailand’s prosperity over a thousand years ago and were recognized as a significant part of the nation’s cultural heritage, deserving of great pride.
“We are very appreciative of the Met’s effort in givng them back to their homeland. They are important in showing our cultural heritage and excellence in skilled crafting and casting to the world community. Importantly, the Met has emphasized possession of legal origin of artifacts and firmed our mutual relations,” she said.
Met representative John Guy, a member of the Committee for Repatriation of Thai Antiquities from Foreign Countries, said the transfer of the statues and the recent Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Met and Thailand marked an important milestone, building on the ongoing collaboration in conservation between the two parties.
The gilt bronze figure of the Hindu god Shiva, a standing figure known as Golden Boy, was without doubt a singular masterpiece, and one of the most important religious sculptures of its kind to survive from mainland Southeast Asia, he said.
That it was in a near-perfect state of preservation only enhanced its importance.
The Met learned that “Golden Boy” and “Kneeling Woman” had been illegally smuggled out of Thailand. Consequently, the museum removed them from its collection of antiquities and proposed their return to Thailand.
The two ancient statues, which have been dated to the 11th century, are now on view at the Lopburi Room, Mahasurasinghanat Building of the National Museum. A large bronze sculpture unearthed at Prasat Sa Kamphaeng Yai in Si Sa Ket province that has similarities to the Golden Boy is being exhibited alongside them.
The "Kneeling Woman"