SYDNEY: In a significant move towards rectifying past injustices, Australia’s National Gallery has announced its decision to return three 9th and 10th Century bronze sculptures to Cambodia after a decade-long joint investigation between the two countries to determine the origin of the artworks.
This historic act has been warmly welcomed by the Cambodian government and is seen as a positive step in the global effort to repatriate looted cultural goods.
The three sculptures in question originally belonged to the Champa Kingdom, which once occupied parts of Cambodia and Vietnam. The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) acquired these precious artefacts in 2011 for A$2.3 million from the late British artefacts smuggler, Douglas Latchford, who passed away in 2020. The NGA confirmed that Latchford had been implicated in the illegal trade of antiquities since 2016, and charges were filed against him in 2019, specifically related to the trafficking of stolen and looted Cambodian artefacts, according to the BBC.
According to reports from ABC, the three statues were unearthed in a field in Tboung Khmum, Cambodia, back in 1994. They were then illicitly smuggled across the border to international art dealers in Thailand before eventually ending up in Latchford’s private collection.
Nawapan Kriangsak, Latchford’s daughter, played a vital role in facilitating the return of the artefacts. She collaborated closely with researchers from the NGA and Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts to make this repatriation possible.
While the sculptures will remain on display at the NGA in Canberra for the next three years, Cambodia is preparing a new home for these cultural treasures in its capital city, Phnom Penh.
Australia’s Special Envoy for the Arts, Susan Templeman, highlighted the significance of this occasion during the handover ceremony, emphasizing that it represents not only an opportunity to correct a historical wrong but also to strengthen the ties between Australia and Cambodia and deepen mutual understanding.
The return of these valuable artefacts to their rightful home in Cambodia is a poignant moment, symbolizing the commitment of nations to righting the wrongs of the past and preserving their cultural heritage. It also underscores the importance of collaboration and cooperation between countries in addressing the issue of looted cultural goods. As the global push for repatriation gains momentum, this landmark act by Australia serves as a powerful example for other nations to follow suit and take steps to restore cultural treasures to their places of origin.
