Return of the Shiva sculpture marks the third time in as many years that the Met Museum has repatriated an item from its collection to Nepal. In 2018, the cultural institution repatriated two stone sculptures: a 12th-century stele of Uma Mahesvara (Shiva and Parvati) and a 10th-century sculpture of Buddha. There are currently more than 200 Nepali objects in the collection, according to a museum spokesman. “In returning this sculpture to Nepal, the museum is acting to strengthen the good relationship it has long maintained with scholarly institutions and colleagues in Nepal.”In March, the Dallas Museum of Art repatriated a deity sculpture to Nepal with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and earlier this month, officials from the Denver Art Museum traveled to Washington to give another sacred statue to the Nepal embassy. According to Mishra, the sculpture was likely stolen about 50 years ago; eventually, it was sold to a collector, who gave the artifact to the museum in 1995.

Source: New York Times September 29, 2021 18:11 UTC