New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art will return two bronze images dating from 900 years ago, one of them very rare, after the images were smuggled out of the country, according to the culture minister.
Minister Sermsak Pongpanich said the museum informed the Fine Arts Department last week that the two images – one of the god Shiva also known as "Golden Boy" and the other a female figure – had been supplied by smugglers. The museum thus excluded both items from its exhibits and will return them via the Thai consul-general in New York City.
Mr Sermsak said the Shiva image dated from the 11th century and was a rare item because it was as tall as 129 centimetres, gold-plated and portrayed an elegant costume.
The figure of the woman also dated from the 11th century and was 43 centimetres tall. It also featured elegant clothing along with traces of gold and silver decorations.
The culture minister praised the museum for respecting the legitimate possession of ancient objects.
