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gavel restitution schedule Jun 11, 2026 visibility 2 link 2 artists

Metropolitan Museum of Art Repatriates Two Khmer Sculptures to Cambodia

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has repatriated two sandstone Khmer sculptures to Cambodia: a 10th-century guardian deity (rākṣasa) from the Prasat Chen temple at Koh Ker and a 7th-century lintel featuring a kirtimukha dragon. The returns follow an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg into the late dealer Doris Wiener and her daughter Nancy Wiener, who pleaded guilty to trafficking looted artifacts in 2021. The sculptures were seized by the DA's office this year and formally transferred to Cambodia alongside a third sculpture surrendered by a private collector. The Met has previously returned looted objects to Cambodia in 2013 and 2023, linked to investigations into trafficker Douglas Latchford.

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gavel restitution schedule Jun 10, 2026 visibility 3 link 2 artists

The Trade in Looted Antiquities Endures for One Reason: Demand

A 1997 looting operation at Cambodia's Koh Ker temple complex targeted three ancient statues, which were trafficked through Thailand to Western buyers. One statue was purchased by an American billionaire, another by a London dealer before disappearing into a private collection, and the third was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Two of the three have since been repatriated to Cambodia following investigations into the network of British dealer Douglas Latchford, who allegedly trafficked stolen Cambodian sculptures for decades, often sourced by men linked to the Khmer Rouge.

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gavel restitution schedule Jun 12, 2026 visibility 3 link 1 artist

DHM gibt Relief zurück an belgische Stadt

The German Historical Museum (DHM) in Berlin has returned a bronze relief to the Belgian city of Dinant. The relief, created by Belgian sculptor Frans Huygelen around 1927, was confiscated in 1942 during the German occupation of Belgium. It was part of a monument dedicated to the execution of Belgian civilians by German soldiers in World War I. The return was prompted by a 1930 postcard showing the relief as part of the monument, which was missing from a 2014 photo, leading to confirmation that it had been seized by the German military commander of Dinant and Philippeville and likely brought to the Berlin Zeughaus, the Nazi-era army museum.

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gavel restitution schedule Jun 8, 2026 visibility 7 link 1 artist

Gaffe clamorosa dello Stato. Un’opera del Trecento scambiata per un dipinto dell’Ottocento: perduta per sempre

The Italian state has definitively lost a 14th-century painting, a 'Madonna and Child' by the Master of the Baptistery of Parma, after a catastrophic bureaucratic error. In 2020, a Swiss company purchased the work at auction in Italy for €38,000, classified as a modest 19th-century devotional piece. The Ministry of Culture, then led by Dario Franceschini, issued an export certificate, noting the work's limited quality and local religious interest. The date '1350' on the back was misread as '1850' due to wear. After export, a 2022 restoration revealed the true date and the work's significant artistic value. Christie's later estimated it at £400,000–£500,000. The state tried to annul the export authorization, but the buyer successfully challenged this in court. The Council of State's final ruling in May 2025 confirmed the legality of the export, making the loss irreversible.

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