The Metropolitan Museum of Art will return more than a dozen Southeast Asian sculptures after they were linked to a late art dealer accused of trafficking artifacts looted from the region, according to the museum and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York. New York City’s Metropolitan Museum said in a statement it has initiated the return of 14 artworks to Cambodia and two to Thailand that were tied to Douglas Latchford, a British antiquities dealer and leading scholar on Khmer art. Latchford was indicted in 2019 for “orchestrating a multi-year scheme to sell looted Cambodian antiquities on the international art market,” the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement. The indictment was dismissed following Latchford’s death in 2020. “The Met has been diligently working with Cambodia and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for years to resolve questions regarding these works of art, and new information that arose from this process made it clear that we should initiate the return of this group of sculptures,” said Max Hollein, the museum’s director and CEO. The sculptures to be returned depict the Hindu and Buddhist religious systems from the ninth and 14th centuries in the Angkorian period, according to the Met. Some of the artworks being returned to Cambodia are from the Koh Ker archaeological site, including a sandstone goddess statue from the 10th century, the U.S. attorney’s office said. Another is the “Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara Seated in Royal Ease” from the late 10th to early 11th century, which depicts a sitting Buddha with his legs crossed. Other statues date from as far back as the seventh century, including a statue head of Buddha, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. In a press statement, Cambodia’s Minister of Culture and Fine Arts, Phoeurng Sackona, described the objects’ repatriation as “an act of healing for our nation.” “The enormous importance to the Cambodian people, of these returns is difficult to overstate,” she said, expressing hope that other items of Cambodian origin — in the Met and elsewhere — will also be sent back. “We ask for other museums and private collectors to contact us to discuss their collections of Cambodian antiquities.” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams meanwhile said that his office “will continue to vigorously investigate the illegal trade in stolen antiquities.” “We look forward to our continued dialogue with the Met on these important issues,” Williams said, adding: “We urge those in this space, including cultural institutions, to be vigilant. And If you work at one of these institutions or for a private collection and have concerns that certain pieces may be tied to illicit trafficking, do the right thing. Come forward and work with us on a voluntary basis to facilitate the return to the rightful owners.” Last August, as part of the ongoing investigation into artifacts bought and sold by Latchford, New York officials announced the return of 30 cultural artifacts to Cambodia after the items were illegally sold to private collectors and a U.S. museum. (SD-Agencies) Words to Learn 相關詞匯 【洗劫】 xǐjié loot (usually of large numbers of people during a violent event) to steal from shops and houses 【違法的】 wéifǎ de illicit illegal or disapproved of by society 紐約大都會博物館和紐約南區美國檢察官辦公室稱，該博物館將歸還十多件東南亞雕塑。這些雕塑牽涉到一個已故藝術品商人，他被指控販賣掠奪的東南亞文物。 大都會博物館在一份聲明中說，該館已開始歸還柬埔寨的14件藝術品和泰國的2件藝術品，這些藝術品與英國古董商、從事高棉藝術研究的著名學者道格拉斯?拉奇福德有關。 美國檢察官辦公室在一份聲明中說，拉奇福德2019年被起訴，罪名是 “幕后主使，多年來在國際藝術品市場上出售被掠奪的柬埔寨文物”。拉奇福德2020 年去世后，起訴被撤回。 博物館館長兼首席執行官馬克斯?霍萊因說：“多年來，大都會博物館一直努力與柬埔寨和美國檢察官辦公室合作，解決與盜竊藝術品相關的問題。” 大都會博物館稱，即將歸還的雕塑描繪了9世紀至14世紀吳哥時期印度教和佛教的宗教體系。 美國檢察官辦公室表示，將歸還柬埔寨的部分藝術品來自吳哥考古遺址，其中包括一座10世紀的砂巖女神像。另一尊是10世紀末至11世紀初的觀音菩薩坐像，描繪了一尊盤腿而坐的佛。 美國檢察官辦公室稱，其他雕像最早可追溯到七世紀，包括一尊佛頭像。 在一份新聞聲明中，柬埔寨文化和藝術部部長普恩?薩科納將這些文物的歸還描述為“治愈我們民族創傷的行動”。 她說：“這些文物的歸還對柬埔寨人民意義重大，無論怎么強調都不為過。”她還表示，希望大都會博物館和流落別處的其他柬埔寨文物也能回歸。“我們希望其他博物館和私人藏家與我們聯系，討論他們收藏的柬埔寨文物。” 美國檢察官達米安?威廉姆斯也表示，他的辦公室“將繼續大力調查被盜文物的非法交易”。 威廉姆斯說：“我們期待繼續與大都會博物館討論這些重要問題。我們敦促包括文化機構在內的相關人員提高警惕。如果您在這些機構或私人收藏機構工作，懷疑某些藏品可能與非法販運有關，請做出合乎道義的選擇，站出來主動和我們合作，為完璧歸趙提供便利。” 去年8月，對拉奇福德非法盜賣文物的調查持續期間，紐約官員宣布將30件文物歸還柬埔寨，此前這批文物被非法出售給私人收藏家和一家美國博物館。 (Translated by Debra) | 