Returned ‘Golden Boy’ statue to arrive in Bangkok today
Cultural heritage restored as repatriated Thai treasures to be entrusted to National Museum Bangkok.
A formal ceremony to welcome two stolen artefacts from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will be held on Tuesday, the Fine Arts Department said on Monday.
The bronze statue of the Hindu god Shiva adorned in regalia, also known as the “Golden Boy”, and a bronze statue of a seated woman with her hands raised above her head, are due to arrive in Thailand today.
These artefacts, both dating back 900 to 1,000 years, are among several others that have been taken from Thailand unlawfully.
The US museum’s decision to return those artefacts to Thailand follows their connection to art dealer Douglas Latchford, accused of running an antiquities trafficking network in Southeast Asia, according to Reuter’s report in December last year.
Latchford was indicted in 2019 for allegedly orchestrating a multiyear scheme to sell looted Cambodian antiquities on the international art market. He consistently denied involvement in the smuggling and died the following year.
The ongoing effort to repatriate artefacts reflects a collective acknowledgement of the importance of restoring cultural heritage to its rightful origins, Reuters said.
The Fine Arts Department was tasked with collaborating with the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the repatriation of two artefacts on February 3. The repatriation is being made through the Royal Thai Consulate General in New York and the return costs are being covered by the US museum.
The department’s experts went to the US on April 25 to examine the artefacts and discuss with the museum on the repatriation schedule and other details.
Government deputy spokesperson Kenika Ounjit said on May 14 that the Cabinet has allowed the Fine Arts Department to take the Golden Boy and seated woman statue back to the National Museum Bangkok in Phra Nakhon district.
“The Standing Shiva or Golden Boy is an important artefact [for Thailand] as there is clear evidence that the artefact was taken from Prasat Ban Yang ruins in Buri Ram’s Lahan Sai district in the 1960s,” she said.
Meanwhile, visitors can admire a statue thought to be the "twin" of the Golden Boy at the National Museum Bangkok, according to the Phimai National Museum's Facebook page.
