(New York, August 6, 2018)—The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today that it is returning two sculptures to the Government of India: an eighth-century stone sculpture of a Hindu goddess, Durga Mahishasuramardini, and a limestone sculpture from the third century, Head of a Male Deity.
The Durga was donated to the Museum in 2015. In the course of research, Museum staff recognized it from the 1969 publication The Archaeology of Kumann (including Dehradum), by K. P. Nautiyal, in which the Durga was described as being housed in the Chakravarteswara Temple at Baijnath, a medieval capital in Uttarakhand, in northern India. The Museum contacted the Archaeological Survey of India, and The Met and India signed an agreement for its return in April 2018.
The Head of a Male Deity was donated to the Museum in 1986. Museum staff recently determined that it was part of the excavated inventory of the Nagarjunakonda Site Museum and offered to return it earlier this year. The Museum and India are signing an agreement for its return today, and it, together with the Durga, will be sent to India later this week.
Commented The Metropolitan Museum of Art: “The Museum is committed to the responsible acquisition of archaeological art, and applies rigorous provenance standards to its collections. The return of these objects to India is warranted, and the Museum is grateful for our long-standing, collaborative relationships with colleagues and scholarly institutions in India.”
Commented the Consulate General of India, “We deeply appreciate the sincere efforts and collaboration of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in this return of Indian antiquities to India. We will continue to work closely with the Museum and other US authorities and institutions to identify Indian archaeological art that belongs in India.”
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August 6, 2018
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