The Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art announced it will return three looted bronze sculptures to India: "Shiva Nataraja" (ca. 990), "Somaskanda" (12th century), and "Saint Sundarar with Paravai." Provenance research linked the works to art dealers known for trafficking looted antiquities. The museum partnered with the Photo Archives of the French Institute of Pondicherry in 2023, finding the bronzes had been photographed in Tamil Nadu temples between 1956 and 1959 and removed in violation of Indian laws. This follows the museum's December return of three Khmer-period sculptures to Cambodia, also determined to be looted.
These restitutions matter because they reflect a growing institutional commitment to ethical stewardship and transparency in museum collections. The museum explicitly stated that continued retention of looted works, even with legal title, can cause harm to descendant communities and conflict with ethical standards. The cases highlight the role of provenance research and international collaboration in correcting historical wrongs, setting a precedent for other museums facing similar restitution claims.