A 900-year-old statue smuggled out of Thailand by a notorious art dealer in 1975 has finally been returned to the country after spending over three decades in the possession of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The 129-centimetre bronze statue known as the Golden Boy, which is believed to depict the Hindu god Shiva -- along with a smaller statue of a kneeling woman -- arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport yesterday.
The statues were taken to the National Museum Bangkok, where they would be welcomed with an official ceremony before they are displayed for the public.
The Met decided to return the two artefacts after verifying that they were connected to Douglas Latchford, an art dealer who, in 2019, was charged with operating a major network that stole treasures from all around Southeast Asia.
The Golden Boy, believed to have been crafted over 900 years ago, was smuggled by Latchford from Thailand in 1975. According to Latchford's books, Khmer Bronzes and Khmer Gold, the sculpture was discovered in Ban Yang Pongsadao village in tambon Ta Chong in Buri Ram's Lahan Sai district.
The artefact was in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 1988 to 2023.
The identity of the Golden Boy is still a subject of debate.
Archaeologist Tanongsak Hanwong said the Golden Boy is a statue of King Jayavarman VI, who built the Phimai stone castle in Buri Ram, not the god Shiva, as most people believe.
Mr Tanongsak, who is also a member of the committee for the repatriation of stolen artefacts, said that the Golden Boy is more similar in style to the carvings found at the Phimai stone castle, rather than the sculptures of Shiva commonly found in the region.
Thus, he believes the artefact is a sculpture of King Jayavarman VI (1080 to 1107 AD) of the Mahidharapura Dynasty. The king built the Phimai stone castle as the administrative centre of the ancient Khmer Empire.
Findings suggest that the Khmer Empire thrived along the Khorat Plateau before expanding to the Cambodian city of Siem Reap, debunking the previous belief that the empire expanded to the Khorat Plateau from Cambodia.
The Ministry of Culture and the Fine Arts Department will hold an official repatriation ceremony this afternoon at Issara Winitchai Throne Hall, Bangkok National Museum.