The Metropolitan Museum of Art has just shipped two ancient sandstone sculptures back to Cambodia, because apparently that's where they belonged all along. One is a formidable guardian statue, likely from the 10th century, meant to stand guard at a temple entrance. The other, a beautifully carved architectural piece, depicts a dragon from the mid-7th century.
These returns come courtesy of an investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney's office, digging into the rather sticky legacy of Doris Wiener, a New York art dealer who passed in 1981. Turns out, she had a penchant for trafficking artifacts. Her daughter, Nancy Wiener, later pleaded guilty in 2021 for continuing the family tradition of dealing in looted goods. Because some things, it seems, are hereditary.
The Art of Coming Home
This isn't the Met's first rodeo. Just last year, they sent 14 other sculptures back to Cambodia, also tied to a different, equally shady dealer named Douglas Latchford. In 2013, two more objects, affectionately known as the “Koh Ker Kneeling Attendants,” made their way home, again, thanks to Mr. Latchford's less-than-legal dealings. Latchford, a British-Thai businessman, was accused by federal prosecutors of trafficking antiquities until his death in 2020. A convenient exit, if you ask us.
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Start Your News DetoxOne of the recently returned pieces, the guardian deity (rākṣasa), once stood sentinel at the Prasat Chen temple in Koh Ker, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its feet and pedestal are still there, waiting. This imposing figure was designed to ward off evil and protect the sacred space. Naturally, it was also a prime target for looting in the 1970s.
Doris Wiener acquired this specific statue in 1972, then donated it to the Met in 1987. It enjoyed a long display run until this year, when the D.A.'s office swooped in and seized it. The two sculptures, plus a third sandstone head of the Hindu deity Harihara, were officially handed over at a ceremony.
D.A. Alvin Bragg stated these sculptures had been illegally in New York for decades, and thanked his team for their diligent work. Max Hollein, the Met’s Director, emphasized the museum's commitment to collecting art responsibly, noting increased research into provenance and proactive collection reviews. Which, if you think about it, is both impressive and slightly terrifying for anyone with a suspiciously acquired antiquity in their attic.
Bragg's Antiquities Trafficking Unit has now convicted 18 people and recovered over 6,350 cultural treasures worth more than $490 million. Almost 6,000 of those have been returned to 38 countries. Seven other alleged traffickers are currently awaiting extradition. Let that satisfying number sink in.
