via the New York District Attorney’s Office, 08 November 2021: The New York DA seize four antiquities held by the Denver Art Museum linked to Douglas Latchford, which will be repatriated to Cambodia.
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the filing of a civil complaint today seeking forfeiture of four looted Cambodian antiquities at a museum in Denver, Colorado, for the purpose of returning the antiquities to the Kingdom of Cambodia. The antiquities, which include a 12th to 13th century Khmer sandstone sculpture depicting Prajnaparamita, and a 7th to 8th century Khmer sandstone sculpture depicting Surya, were sold to the museum by antiquities dealer Douglas Latchford through the use of false provenance documents. The museum has voluntarily relinquished possession of the antiquities.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Douglas Latchford papered over the problematic provenance of Cambodian antiquities with falsehoods, in the process successfully placing stolen goods in the permanent collection of an American museum. Eradicating the illegal trade in stolen antiquities requires the vigilance of all parties in the art market, especially cultural institutions.”
According to the civil complaint filed in Manhattan federal court today:
The United States of America seeks the forfeiture of the following antiquities, currently in the possession of a museum located in Denver, Colorado (the “Museum”): (1) a 12th to 13th century Khmer sandstone sculpture depicting standing Prajnaparamita (“Prajnaparamita”), (2) a 7th to 8th century Khmer sandstone sculpture depicting standing Surya (“Surya”), (3) an Iron Age Dong Son bronze bell (the “Bell”), and (4) a 17th to 18th century sandstone lintel depicting the sleep of Vishnu and birth of Brahma (the “Lintel”). Together, the Prajnaparamita, Surya, Bell, and Lintel are the “Defendants in Rem.”
…
The Museum has voluntarily agreed to relinquish possession of the Defendants in Rem to the United States in order for them to be repatriated to the Kingdom of Cambodia, and waived all claims of right, title, and interest in the Defendants in Rem.
See also:
- Denver Art Museum gives up looted Cambodian antiquities as feds seek forfeiture | Denver Post, 09 Nov 2021
- Denver Art Museum gives up allegedly looted Cambodian artifacts | Colorado Sun, 09 Nov 2021
- Denver museum to return looted relics to Cambodia after U.S. moves to seize them | Washington Post, 11 Nov 2021
- Feds intervene to help Cambodia recover looted artifacts from Denver museum | NBC News, 11 Nov 2021
- Looted antiquities seized in US | Phnom Penh Post, 11 Nov 2021
- Return of four Cambodian cultural treasures from Denver Art Museum underway | Khmer Times, 12 Nov 2021
- Statue of sleeping Vishnu among those being returned to Cambodia | New Straits Times, 12 Nov 2021
The Denver Art Museum has an unfortunate history, well covered up, of possession of stolen or fake art. They need to be thoroughly investigated.