1st century BC plaque among 105 antiquities to be returned by US

Most of these antiquities are  suspected to have been smuggled abroad through jailed antique dealer Subhash Kapoor.

The Indian Express had reported on March 14, following an investigation in collaboration with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and UK-based Finance Uncovered, that the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York had at least 77 antiquities in its catalogue linked to Subhash Kapoor. The Met said last month that 16 of these antiquities had been returned to India. Some of the 105 antiquities that are set to be returned to India have already been verified by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which is the custodian of all repatriated artefacts. A team comprising senior ASI officials will soon be travelling to the US for verification of the remaining objects, The Indian Express has learnt.

“We are regularly processing the retrieval of our antiquities that are traced abroad. Approximately 105 such pieces are in the process of returning from the US,” said an ASI spokesperson.

The antiquities, in different mediums such as marble, terracotta and sandstone, span a period of 1,600 years, from the 1st century BC to the 15th century AD, and hold significant historical and market value, said official sources, adding that their exact worth could not be ascertained.

These include a 12th-13th century miniature Jain shrine made of marble from Gujarat/ Maharashtra; an 11th century sculpture of Vishnu and Lakshmi made of sandstone; two 14th century sandstone Apsara figures from central India; and an 11th century standing Surya sculpture.

Once the antiquities reach India, the ASI, which functions under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture, will decide whether the object should be returned to its original place and handed over to the respective state government, or whether it should be displayed at a museum dedicated to repatriated antiquities at Delhi’s Purana Qila.

In response to an RTI query filed by The Indian Express in April this year, the ASI’s Antiquity Section had said: “103 antiquities are in the pipeline for retrieval from the US.”

She had said that “when any artefact of Indian origin is located in a foreign country, it is first verified by ASI in that country or on its arrival in India. Experts verify it on the basis of their knowledge, iconography and wear-and-tear marks.” However, there is no time limit for this process, she had added.

During Modi’s last visit to the US in 2021, 157 artefacts and antiquities were handed over to India, mostly dating back to the 11th-14th centuries. At that time, Modi and US President Joe Biden had “committed to strengthen efforts to combat theft, illicit trade and trafficking of cultural objects”.

Modi also discussed the matter with global leaders and multilateral institutions during his foreign visits. According to government data, a total of 251 antiquities have been brought back to India, of which 238 were brought back since 2014.

As mentioned in the India-US joint statement last week, the Ministry of Culture is expected to sign a cultural property agreement with the US for “smooth repatriation” of all such antiquities found to be smuggled out of the country. India is also looking to sign such an agreement with the United Kingdom too, said ministry officials.

“Prime Minister Modi conveyed his deep appreciation for the repatriation of antiquities to India by the US. Both sides expressed strong interest in working quickly toward a cultural property agreement, which would help to prevent illegal trafficking of cultural property from India and enhance cooperation on the protection and lawful exchange of cultural property,” the joint statement had said.