PlanetWarrior
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US to return 7 antiquities stolen from India
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Lord ZeN
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Take back your great BD antiques along with your fellow pole vaulters. Now do we have a deal.
bongbang
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Take back your great BD antiques along with your fellow pole vaulters. Now do we have a deal.
No we cant trust Indians. Pole valuers will be in search for more BD antiques
Lord ZeN
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Oh.. Good luck with that.No we cant trust Indians. Pole valuers will be in search for more BD antiques
The great Indian idol robbery | Frontline
Federal agencies in the United States have chosen to profile Kapoor, a 64-year-old Indian-born American citizen, as “one of the most prolific antiquities smugglers in the world since 1974”. How he became one is the story of a carefully calculated charm offensive that involved, among other things, the donation of rare artefacts to museums around the world, including those in Iran and Pakistan.
On Friday, Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott will return two looted idols seized from Australian museums during a meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
Abbott will personally deliver the National Gallery of Australia‘s $5 million Dancing Shiva and the Art Gallery of New South Wales‘ $300,000 Ardhanarishvara to Modi as a “gesture of good will” at a state reception at the Indian presidential palace, the Australian’s Michaela Boland reported in Friday’s paper
Nataraja got back here last week:
The temple:
After it was announced Nataraja was coming back, Got a fresh coat of paint, and lots of renovations and a party
:
Also got back a Bronze Ganesha and a Bronze Uma (both Chola era)
Last edited:
Hindustani78
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kakathiya
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you tableegi jamaathi, do you want them to get destroyed, like there is a saying " A gem stone in the hands of a monkey"
I am relieved that it is still intact, now the jamaathis will get busy,Terracotta art has been practised in Bengal for long, it's something Bengalis specialise. Just putting that out htere.
Kantajew Temple (in bangladesh) is an outstanding example of terracotta architecture.
return all the Hindu artifacts to India it does not belong in BD, we fear it will get destroyed, and one who cannot protect it should not have it
Hindustani78
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US museum to return 'stolen' artwork bought from Indian dealer
Boston, Apr 4, 2015 (PTI)
One of the US' prestigious art museums will hand over to American authorities a rare mid-19th century Tanjore portrait bought from notorious art dealer Subhash Kapoor accused of trafficking stolen antiquities from India.
The Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts yesterday announced that it will hand over the Indian artwork to the Department of Homeland Security as part of the government's ongoing investigation into an alleged international art fraud enterprise.
The artwork titled 'Maharaja Serfoji II of Tanjavur and his son Shivaji II' was purchased by the Museum from Kapoor's New York gallery in 2006 for USD 35,000, the Boston Globe reported.
The Peabody Essex is the second US museum to voluntarily agree to relinquish a work of art linked to the dealer.
Earlier this week, the Honolulu Museum of Art returned seven pieces purchased from Kapoor following a probe during which it emerged that the objects had been stolen from temples and ancient Buddhist sites in India and brought to the US illegally.
Kapoor was arrested in 2011 in Germany on charges of trafficking in looted Indian antiquities. He was extradited to India and is awaiting trial. He has pleaded not guilty.
Peabody Essex Museum director Dan L Monroe said the allegations of Kapoor's art trafficking have created "shock waves" around the world.
"It involves a substantial number of art museums, and they're not just in the US," he said, adding that he knew of 18 museums with pieces linked to Kapoor in their collections.
Monroe said the the Museum has been working with Homeland Security Investigations, a division of the federal department, since Kapoor's arrest at the airport in Frankfurt in 2011.
"We took a proactive role to notify the Department of Homeland Security of all works we had through gift or purchase from Kapoor," said Monroe.
Monroe said Kapoor first established his relationship with the Peabody Essex by donating works to the collection.
"He made several gifts to the museum and then eventually offered works for purchase," Monroe said.
He said the Peabody-Essex collection still has "six or seven" of Kapoors works, which federal investigators have told the museum do not appear to have been improperly acquired.
Luis Martinez, a public affairs officer with the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the investigation known as Operation Hidden Idol has already recovered approximately 1,000 items, worth an estimated USD 150 million, linked to Kapoor, the daily reported.
While some of the works are more recent, many are much older, including a second-century BC pillar sculpture valued at nearly USD 18 million and a 2,000-year-old terra cotta rattle.
"It is the largest seizure that HSI has made from an individual," said Martinez, who added that investigators have identified approximately 2,000 pieces linked to Kapoor that they suspect were looted.
He noted that many of the works are in museums and private collections. "A lot of these museums are victims themselves," he said.
*************
Museum Website.
PEM | PEM RETURNS ARTWORK IN COOPERATION WITH DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY CASE « Press
SALEM, MA -- The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) announces it will expedite the transfer of an artwork from its collection to the Department of Homeland Security's - Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to cooperate with an ongoing international art fraud investigation. PEM is one of several major art institutions around the world that purchased items from art dealer Subhash Kapoor, who was arrested in 2011 on charges of trafficking in stolen antiques from India.
Through HSI's investigation, PEM learned that a mid-19th century Tanjore portrait in its collection, which was acquired from Subhash Kapoor's New York gallery in 2006, has falsified provenance. The artwork will be turned over to HSI.
"PEM's legacy of cultural and artistic exchange with India extends over 200 years," says Dan L. Monroe, PEM's Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Director and CEO. "The allegations of Subhash Kapoor's art trafficking bring to light a nefarious ring of fraud, the discovery of which has sent shock waves through the art community. PEM has undertaken a rigorous internal assessment of its collection and is working in full cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security. PEM remains deeply committed to collecting, stewarding and presenting exceptional works of art and culture from around the world."
"I applaud the Peabody Essex Museum's decision to assist HSI with our investigation by returning this precious artwork," said Raymond R. Parmer Jr., special agent in charge of HSI New York. "I hope their example sets the standard for other institutions that may have inadvertently purchased or received stolen artifacts."
Artwork details:
Indian artist, mid-19th century
Maharaja Serfoji II of Tanjavur and his son Shivaji II,
Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India
Wood, lime plaster, water-base paint, gold leaf, glass
57 x 42 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches (144.78 x 107.95 x 13.97 cm)
Peabody Essex Museum, Museum purchase, 2006.
E303395
PEM's Indian Art Collection
PEM is home to the most important collection of modern-era Indian art, from colonial times to the present, outside India. In 2001, the acquisition of the Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection of post-Independence art from India established PEM as the first museum outside of India to focus on the achievements of its modern artists. The Herwitz Collection of post-1947 Indian paintings -- some 1,600 works by approximately 70 artists -- remains unparalleled in any American or European museum. Painting dominates the overall collection, in large measure because of the Herwitz Collection, but also because of its deep holdings in the vernacular Kalighat painting tradition: PEM's Kalighat paintings constitute one of the top three collections in the world.
PEM is preeminent internationally for representing the art of the modern era, from the period of British colonial rule to the present, in what is modern-day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Additionally, the extensive Bhutanese textile collection is the most important in an American museum, and the museum has diverse works from various Southeast Asian cultures, principally from the Philippines, Thailand, Burma, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, as well as from Tibet and Nepal.
Boston, Apr 4, 2015 (PTI)
One of the US' prestigious art museums will hand over to American authorities a rare mid-19th century Tanjore portrait bought from notorious art dealer Subhash Kapoor accused of trafficking stolen antiquities from India.
The Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts yesterday announced that it will hand over the Indian artwork to the Department of Homeland Security as part of the government's ongoing investigation into an alleged international art fraud enterprise.
The artwork titled 'Maharaja Serfoji II of Tanjavur and his son Shivaji II' was purchased by the Museum from Kapoor's New York gallery in 2006 for USD 35,000, the Boston Globe reported.
The Peabody Essex is the second US museum to voluntarily agree to relinquish a work of art linked to the dealer.
Earlier this week, the Honolulu Museum of Art returned seven pieces purchased from Kapoor following a probe during which it emerged that the objects had been stolen from temples and ancient Buddhist sites in India and brought to the US illegally.
Kapoor was arrested in 2011 in Germany on charges of trafficking in looted Indian antiquities. He was extradited to India and is awaiting trial. He has pleaded not guilty.
Peabody Essex Museum director Dan L Monroe said the allegations of Kapoor's art trafficking have created "shock waves" around the world.
"It involves a substantial number of art museums, and they're not just in the US," he said, adding that he knew of 18 museums with pieces linked to Kapoor in their collections.
Monroe said the the Museum has been working with Homeland Security Investigations, a division of the federal department, since Kapoor's arrest at the airport in Frankfurt in 2011.
"We took a proactive role to notify the Department of Homeland Security of all works we had through gift or purchase from Kapoor," said Monroe.
Monroe said Kapoor first established his relationship with the Peabody Essex by donating works to the collection.
"He made several gifts to the museum and then eventually offered works for purchase," Monroe said.
He said the Peabody-Essex collection still has "six or seven" of Kapoors works, which federal investigators have told the museum do not appear to have been improperly acquired.
Luis Martinez, a public affairs officer with the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the investigation known as Operation Hidden Idol has already recovered approximately 1,000 items, worth an estimated USD 150 million, linked to Kapoor, the daily reported.
While some of the works are more recent, many are much older, including a second-century BC pillar sculpture valued at nearly USD 18 million and a 2,000-year-old terra cotta rattle.
"It is the largest seizure that HSI has made from an individual," said Martinez, who added that investigators have identified approximately 2,000 pieces linked to Kapoor that they suspect were looted.
He noted that many of the works are in museums and private collections. "A lot of these museums are victims themselves," he said.
*************
Museum Website.
PEM | PEM RETURNS ARTWORK IN COOPERATION WITH DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY CASE « Press
SALEM, MA -- The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) announces it will expedite the transfer of an artwork from its collection to the Department of Homeland Security's - Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to cooperate with an ongoing international art fraud investigation. PEM is one of several major art institutions around the world that purchased items from art dealer Subhash Kapoor, who was arrested in 2011 on charges of trafficking in stolen antiques from India.
Through HSI's investigation, PEM learned that a mid-19th century Tanjore portrait in its collection, which was acquired from Subhash Kapoor's New York gallery in 2006, has falsified provenance. The artwork will be turned over to HSI.
"PEM's legacy of cultural and artistic exchange with India extends over 200 years," says Dan L. Monroe, PEM's Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Director and CEO. "The allegations of Subhash Kapoor's art trafficking bring to light a nefarious ring of fraud, the discovery of which has sent shock waves through the art community. PEM has undertaken a rigorous internal assessment of its collection and is working in full cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security. PEM remains deeply committed to collecting, stewarding and presenting exceptional works of art and culture from around the world."
"I applaud the Peabody Essex Museum's decision to assist HSI with our investigation by returning this precious artwork," said Raymond R. Parmer Jr., special agent in charge of HSI New York. "I hope their example sets the standard for other institutions that may have inadvertently purchased or received stolen artifacts."
Artwork details:
Indian artist, mid-19th century
Maharaja Serfoji II of Tanjavur and his son Shivaji II,
Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India
Wood, lime plaster, water-base paint, gold leaf, glass
57 x 42 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches (144.78 x 107.95 x 13.97 cm)
Peabody Essex Museum, Museum purchase, 2006.
E303395
PEM's Indian Art Collection
PEM is home to the most important collection of modern-era Indian art, from colonial times to the present, outside India. In 2001, the acquisition of the Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection of post-Independence art from India established PEM as the first museum outside of India to focus on the achievements of its modern artists. The Herwitz Collection of post-1947 Indian paintings -- some 1,600 works by approximately 70 artists -- remains unparalleled in any American or European museum. Painting dominates the overall collection, in large measure because of the Herwitz Collection, but also because of its deep holdings in the vernacular Kalighat painting tradition: PEM's Kalighat paintings constitute one of the top three collections in the world.
PEM is preeminent internationally for representing the art of the modern era, from the period of British colonial rule to the present, in what is modern-day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Additionally, the extensive Bhutanese textile collection is the most important in an American museum, and the museum has diverse works from various Southeast Asian cultures, principally from the Philippines, Thailand, Burma, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, as well as from Tibet and Nepal.
Hindustani78
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Canadian PM returns India's artefact - Parrot Lady - to PM Modi. Sculpture dates back to 12th century. Being returned in accordance with 1970 UNESCO Convention.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi visiting the library of Canadian Parliament with the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, in Ottawa, Canada on April 15, 2015.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi visiting the library of Canadian Parliament with the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, in Ottawa, Canada on April 15, 2015.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi visiting the library of Canadian Parliament with the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, in Ottawa, Canada on April 15, 2015.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi visiting the library of Canadian Parliament with the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, in Ottawa, Canada on April 15, 2015.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi visiting the library of Canadian Parliament with the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, in Ottawa, Canada on April 15, 2015.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi visiting the library of Canadian Parliament with the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, in Ottawa, Canada on April 15, 2015.
Hindustani78
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Archaeological Survey of India discovers smuggled Indian antiques in Singapore museum | The Indian Express
Artefacts procured from an art gallery run by notorious art smuggler Subhash Kapoor in the US, include idols dating back to the 10th century.
June 14, 2015 10:38 am
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has discovered a treasure trove of ancient Indian antiques in Singapore allegedly procured from an art gallery run by notorious art smuggler Subhash Kapoor in the US.
Officials from the antiquity wing of the ASI, who visited Singapore last month following a communication from the city-state, have found 30 antique objects, including idols dating to the 10th century and paintings.
Of these, a majority were from south India and had been sold by Kapoor’s gallery ‘Art of the Past’ between 2007 and 2012 to Singapore, ASI sources said.
According to sources, ASI received a communication from Singapore-based Asian Civilisation Museum last year that said it was in possession of two antiquities — idol of a Hindu goddess and a Christ Altar — purchased from Art of the Past.
The letter also mentioned the museum had about 30 antiques procured from the notorious art dealer.
“When we examined the two antiquities, it was confirmed that it was goddess Uma Maheshwari idol from south India and Christ Altar belonging to a church in Goa. While the age of the idol is between 9th and 10th century, the Christ Altar dates back to 18th century,” an official, who was part of the team that travelled to Singapore between May 12 and 15, told PTI.
The authorities were able to establish that the bronze Uma Maheshwari idol had been smuggled from India, thanks to a complaint registered about its theft with Tamil Nadu police.
“Fortunately, we had evidence in case of the Uma Maheshwari idol due to a theft complaint in Tamil Nadu. However, though we could authenticate that the Christ Altar object was from Goa, there was no complaint of theft in this regard,” the official noted.
The sources said the Singapore museum authorities have agreed to return the Uma Maheshwari idol. The Singapore authorities also acceded to the ASI team’s request to be shown the remaining 28 objects.
“Apart of the two objects, majority of the remaining 28 objects were from south India. There were about six idols made of stone and two metal idols of Hindu gods, whose age can be traced to the 10th and 11th century. There were Tanjore paintings as well,” the official said.
The ASI has now written to the Indian High Commission in Singapore seeking its assistance to ascertain how these artefacts landed up with Art of the Past.
In the wake of Kapoor’s 2011 arrest in Germany, several international museums have voluntarily shared information with India about antiquities they had procured from Art of the Past.
Several museums in the US have begun depositing with Homeland Security officials antiquities they had purchased from Kapoor, saying they were not aware that the items had been smuggled into the country.
In April this year, the Honolulu Museum of Art handed over seven antiquities to personnel from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) following an investigation during which it emerged that the objects had been stolen from temples and ancient Buddhist sites in India and brought to the US illegally.
The Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts is also returning a 19th Century Tanjore portrait it purchased in 2006 from Kapoor.
Kapoor was the subject of an Interpol red corner notice and was arrested in 2011 at Frankfurt International Airport. He was subsequently extradited and is standing trial in Chennai for running a multi-million dollar international smuggling racket in art pieces.
Artefacts procured from an art gallery run by notorious art smuggler Subhash Kapoor in the US, include idols dating back to the 10th century.
June 14, 2015 10:38 am
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has discovered a treasure trove of ancient Indian antiques in Singapore allegedly procured from an art gallery run by notorious art smuggler Subhash Kapoor in the US.
Officials from the antiquity wing of the ASI, who visited Singapore last month following a communication from the city-state, have found 30 antique objects, including idols dating to the 10th century and paintings.
Of these, a majority were from south India and had been sold by Kapoor’s gallery ‘Art of the Past’ between 2007 and 2012 to Singapore, ASI sources said.
According to sources, ASI received a communication from Singapore-based Asian Civilisation Museum last year that said it was in possession of two antiquities — idol of a Hindu goddess and a Christ Altar — purchased from Art of the Past.
The letter also mentioned the museum had about 30 antiques procured from the notorious art dealer.
“When we examined the two antiquities, it was confirmed that it was goddess Uma Maheshwari idol from south India and Christ Altar belonging to a church in Goa. While the age of the idol is between 9th and 10th century, the Christ Altar dates back to 18th century,” an official, who was part of the team that travelled to Singapore between May 12 and 15, told PTI.
The authorities were able to establish that the bronze Uma Maheshwari idol had been smuggled from India, thanks to a complaint registered about its theft with Tamil Nadu police.
“Fortunately, we had evidence in case of the Uma Maheshwari idol due to a theft complaint in Tamil Nadu. However, though we could authenticate that the Christ Altar object was from Goa, there was no complaint of theft in this regard,” the official noted.
The sources said the Singapore museum authorities have agreed to return the Uma Maheshwari idol. The Singapore authorities also acceded to the ASI team’s request to be shown the remaining 28 objects.
“Apart of the two objects, majority of the remaining 28 objects were from south India. There were about six idols made of stone and two metal idols of Hindu gods, whose age can be traced to the 10th and 11th century. There were Tanjore paintings as well,” the official said.
The ASI has now written to the Indian High Commission in Singapore seeking its assistance to ascertain how these artefacts landed up with Art of the Past.
In the wake of Kapoor’s 2011 arrest in Germany, several international museums have voluntarily shared information with India about antiquities they had procured from Art of the Past.
Several museums in the US have begun depositing with Homeland Security officials antiquities they had purchased from Kapoor, saying they were not aware that the items had been smuggled into the country.
In April this year, the Honolulu Museum of Art handed over seven antiquities to personnel from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) following an investigation during which it emerged that the objects had been stolen from temples and ancient Buddhist sites in India and brought to the US illegally.
The Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts is also returning a 19th Century Tanjore portrait it purchased in 2006 from Kapoor.
Kapoor was the subject of an Interpol red corner notice and was arrested in 2011 at Frankfurt International Airport. He was subsequently extradited and is standing trial in Chennai for running a multi-million dollar international smuggling racket in art pieces.
Hindustani78
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Updated: July 2, 2015 08:31 IST
US recovers stolen Chola bronze statue of Saint Manikkavachakar worth $1 million - The Hindu
The 11th-12th centure bronze Chola idol of Saint Manikkavachakar that was recovered.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had determined that the item had been stolen from the Sivan Temple in Sripuranthan Village in Ariyalur District, Tamil Nadu.
One more stolen idol from India, this time a Chola bronze statue of Saint Manikkavachakar worth at least a million dollars on the open market, was recovered by U.S. authorities in the unravelling saga of the international idol theft ring allegedly masterminded by Subhash Kapoor.
The New York field office of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in said on Wednesday that an anonymous collector of Asian antiquities, believed to be a victim of fraud in this instance, “voluntarily surrendered a stolen 11-12th century Chola bronze”. The cultural property unit of the federal agency had determined that the item had been looted from the Sivan Temple in Sripuranthan Village in Ariyalur District, Tamil Nadu.
The latest seizure by ICE comes on the back of at least three years of investigations and multiple idol recoveries, which The Hindu has in the past reported extensively and with exclusive first-look photographs.
Numerous photographs of the bronze relic, which officials here described as “a religious idol and priceless to its worshippers,” have been made available to The Hindu this week via special arrangement with the Indian Consulate General in New York City.
According to officials the collector paid somewhere between $650,000-$750,000 for the statue in 2006, on the basis of a false provenance provided with the piece in a fraudulent attempt to pre-date the idol’s theft.
However numerous such false provenances provided by Kapoor, who operated through his shadowy “Art of the Past Gallery,” in New York, have become regular targets of the ICE investigation dubbed Operation Hidden Idol.
Under Hidden Idol, U.S. agents have repeatedly used the methodology of backtracking an artefact to its theft site and mapping it to the smuggling methods deployed, an approach that, to date, has led to the recovery of over 2,500 artefacts worth over $100 million.
While some have already been handed over to India, many are stuck in an ICE warehouse in the New York area and may not be returned for years as they gather dust awaiting clearance after legal and procedural hurdles on the U.S. side are cleared.
It may be but a sliver of solace that Kapoor is in prison in Chennai, awaiting trial on charges of looting and smuggling.
In part, the difficulty that U.S. and Indian authorities are facing in recovering the stolen idols is that some collector-organisations are reluctant to part with the items they possess until convinced beyond a shadow of doubt of its illicit provenance.
However, in a sign that awareness of the Kapoor gang’s activities may be changing the attitude of these collectors, ICE noted this week that in the past three months two domestic museums, the Honolulu Museum and Peabody Essex, partnered with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to surrender illicit cultural property stemming from Kapoor.
Reflecting some of the complex challenge of securing the cooperation of museums and galleries in recovering the remaining artefacts Raymond Parmer, Special Agent in charge of HSI said, “The theft of another country’s cultural property is a terrible crime that robs a nation of its national heritage… We commend this collector for his conscious decision to return this stolen idol.”
Indian Consul General Dnyaneshwar Mulay underscored the need to press on with the investigation until all idols stolen by this international smuggling ring were recovered.
“I look forward to a lasting partnership between HSI and the Government of India’s law enforcement agencies to more actively pursue individuals and syndicates involved in these transnational crimes,” he said.
US recovers stolen Chola bronze statue of Saint Manikkavachakar worth $1 million - The Hindu
The 11th-12th centure bronze Chola idol of Saint Manikkavachakar that was recovered.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had determined that the item had been stolen from the Sivan Temple in Sripuranthan Village in Ariyalur District, Tamil Nadu.
One more stolen idol from India, this time a Chola bronze statue of Saint Manikkavachakar worth at least a million dollars on the open market, was recovered by U.S. authorities in the unravelling saga of the international idol theft ring allegedly masterminded by Subhash Kapoor.
The New York field office of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in said on Wednesday that an anonymous collector of Asian antiquities, believed to be a victim of fraud in this instance, “voluntarily surrendered a stolen 11-12th century Chola bronze”. The cultural property unit of the federal agency had determined that the item had been looted from the Sivan Temple in Sripuranthan Village in Ariyalur District, Tamil Nadu.
The latest seizure by ICE comes on the back of at least three years of investigations and multiple idol recoveries, which The Hindu has in the past reported extensively and with exclusive first-look photographs.
Numerous photographs of the bronze relic, which officials here described as “a religious idol and priceless to its worshippers,” have been made available to The Hindu this week via special arrangement with the Indian Consulate General in New York City.
According to officials the collector paid somewhere between $650,000-$750,000 for the statue in 2006, on the basis of a false provenance provided with the piece in a fraudulent attempt to pre-date the idol’s theft.
However numerous such false provenances provided by Kapoor, who operated through his shadowy “Art of the Past Gallery,” in New York, have become regular targets of the ICE investigation dubbed Operation Hidden Idol.
Under Hidden Idol, U.S. agents have repeatedly used the methodology of backtracking an artefact to its theft site and mapping it to the smuggling methods deployed, an approach that, to date, has led to the recovery of over 2,500 artefacts worth over $100 million.
While some have already been handed over to India, many are stuck in an ICE warehouse in the New York area and may not be returned for years as they gather dust awaiting clearance after legal and procedural hurdles on the U.S. side are cleared.
It may be but a sliver of solace that Kapoor is in prison in Chennai, awaiting trial on charges of looting and smuggling.
In part, the difficulty that U.S. and Indian authorities are facing in recovering the stolen idols is that some collector-organisations are reluctant to part with the items they possess until convinced beyond a shadow of doubt of its illicit provenance.
However, in a sign that awareness of the Kapoor gang’s activities may be changing the attitude of these collectors, ICE noted this week that in the past three months two domestic museums, the Honolulu Museum and Peabody Essex, partnered with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to surrender illicit cultural property stemming from Kapoor.
Reflecting some of the complex challenge of securing the cooperation of museums and galleries in recovering the remaining artefacts Raymond Parmer, Special Agent in charge of HSI said, “The theft of another country’s cultural property is a terrible crime that robs a nation of its national heritage… We commend this collector for his conscious decision to return this stolen idol.”
Indian Consul General Dnyaneshwar Mulay underscored the need to press on with the investigation until all idols stolen by this international smuggling ring were recovered.
“I look forward to a lasting partnership between HSI and the Government of India’s law enforcement agencies to more actively pursue individuals and syndicates involved in these transnational crimes,” he said.
Hindustani78
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The Central Crime Branch sleuths nabbed a gang of nine persons on Friday for trying to sell an antique Buddha idol.
According to sources, on a tip-off, a team of officials intercepted the gang who were looking for prospective clients on Binny Mill Road. Posing as prospective buyers, the CCB sleuths approached them and caught them red-handed after they showed the idol and a diamond.
The names of the arrested were given as Vinay Kumar (31), A. Daadapeer (33), Raghuprasad (26), Mohammed Daadapeer, (54), C. Prakash Shetty (40), Venkatesh Kumar (28), Abhishek (21), D. Prakash (55), and B. Narasimha (55).
Sources said that the arrested were habitual offenders, who were involved in similar offences. While Daadapeer was arrested by Rajarajeshwari Nagar police in 2013, Prakash Shetty was arrested by Kurnool police while trying to sell an antique idol, the police said.
The accused have been taken into custody and the CCB is trying to ascertain the source of the idol.
Archie
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This is all well and good, but when does UK plan to return our antiques
Coz they are the biggest thieves of Indian treasure
I visited Windsor castle and tower of London last year
They have more Indian antiques than British ones
Coz they are the biggest thieves of Indian treasure
I visited Windsor castle and tower of London last year
They have more Indian antiques than British ones
Hindustani78
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September 16, 2015
Indian Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma’s recent admission in parliament that eight cases of antiquities theft were reported from State-protected monuments and museums across three states over the last year, has yet again brought to the fore the fraught issue of pilferage and smuggling of art treasures from Indian shores.
exploitation continues unabated despite the existence of The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972 whose aim is to protect “antiquities,” an omnibus term that includes, among other items, sculptures in stone, shrines, terracotta, metals, jewelry, ivory, paintings in paper, wood, cloth, skin, and manuscripts over a hundred years old.
The Antiquities Act also mandates that owners of such art pieces register them with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the nodal agency responsible for archaeological excavations, conservation of monuments, and protection of heritage sites.
Even though India is a signatory to the 1970 UNESCO treaty, experts say it is extremely tough to retrieve antiquities that have left the country. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, between 208 and 2012 a total of 4,408 items were stolen from 3,676 ASI-protected monuments across the country, but only 1,493 could be intercepted by police. Overall, around 2,913 items are feared to have been shipped to dealers and auction houses worldwide.
Dr. Satish Pandey, Assistant Professor, National Museum Institute of History of Art, Conservation and Museology, New Delhi, opines that the Indian government’s lackadaisical approach is primarily responsible for the current mess. “To date, India has documented only a few of its monuments; many are not even under State protection. Hundreds of buildings – like the stunning gompas (monasteries) of Ladakh and scores of temples in central and southern India – lie unprotected. The problem is made worse by flaws in the existing laws due to which most of the thefts do not come to light or go unreported.”
According to the National Mission for Monument and Antiquities, there are approximately 7 million antiquities in India. But by March this year, only 1.3 million had been documented. A report by the Comptroller and Audit General stated in 2013 that the ASI had never participated or collected information on Indian antiquities put on sale at Sotheby’s and Christie’s as there was no clear provision in the Antiquities Act, 1972 for doing so.
To plug some of the loopholes, the government is launching a National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities, tasked with documenting the antiquities and preparing a national database. The mission will also help establish provenance in the retrieval of smuggled antiquities, in addition to promoting public awareness and participation in the safeguarding of antiquarian wealth. A committee has also been set up to review museum security requirements for a comprehensive security policy.
Indian Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma’s recent admission in parliament that eight cases of antiquities theft were reported from State-protected monuments and museums across three states over the last year, has yet again brought to the fore the fraught issue of pilferage and smuggling of art treasures from Indian shores.
exploitation continues unabated despite the existence of The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972 whose aim is to protect “antiquities,” an omnibus term that includes, among other items, sculptures in stone, shrines, terracotta, metals, jewelry, ivory, paintings in paper, wood, cloth, skin, and manuscripts over a hundred years old.
The Antiquities Act also mandates that owners of such art pieces register them with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the nodal agency responsible for archaeological excavations, conservation of monuments, and protection of heritage sites.
Even though India is a signatory to the 1970 UNESCO treaty, experts say it is extremely tough to retrieve antiquities that have left the country. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, between 208 and 2012 a total of 4,408 items were stolen from 3,676 ASI-protected monuments across the country, but only 1,493 could be intercepted by police. Overall, around 2,913 items are feared to have been shipped to dealers and auction houses worldwide.
Dr. Satish Pandey, Assistant Professor, National Museum Institute of History of Art, Conservation and Museology, New Delhi, opines that the Indian government’s lackadaisical approach is primarily responsible for the current mess. “To date, India has documented only a few of its monuments; many are not even under State protection. Hundreds of buildings – like the stunning gompas (monasteries) of Ladakh and scores of temples in central and southern India – lie unprotected. The problem is made worse by flaws in the existing laws due to which most of the thefts do not come to light or go unreported.”
According to the National Mission for Monument and Antiquities, there are approximately 7 million antiquities in India. But by March this year, only 1.3 million had been documented. A report by the Comptroller and Audit General stated in 2013 that the ASI had never participated or collected information on Indian antiquities put on sale at Sotheby’s and Christie’s as there was no clear provision in the Antiquities Act, 1972 for doing so.
To plug some of the loopholes, the government is launching a National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities, tasked with documenting the antiquities and preparing a national database. The mission will also help establish provenance in the retrieval of smuggled antiquities, in addition to promoting public awareness and participation in the safeguarding of antiquarian wealth. A committee has also been set up to review museum security requirements for a comprehensive security policy.
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