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Angela S Chiu @chiuangelas.bsky.social · 7d

In view of the Met's reluctance (or hostility, in some cases) to sharing its provenance research and receiving requests for return, it feels cynical that the Met refers in the press release to "its commitment to the shared stewardship of the world’s cultural heritage."

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Angela S Chiu @chiuangelas.bsky.social · 7d

No mention of provenance -& little historical & cultural contextualization of the piece, which it would've been interesting to hear from the Iraqi archaeologist. Met staff were shown giving most of the expert commentary; Iraqis depicted mostly just thanking the Met. Colonialistic overtones for sure.

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Reposted by Angela S Chiu

MOLA @museumofloot.bsky.social · 10d

New Case: Goddess of Transcendent Wisdom

In 2021, the Denver Art Museum returned this statue and several other Khmer artifacts to Cambodia after investigators revealed they had been trafficked by Douglas Latchford.

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Reposted by Angela S Chiu

MOLA @museumofloot.bsky.social · 29d

NEWS: The Manhattan DA has issued an arrest warrant for a California antiquities collector, Aaron Mendelsohn, alleging he knowing bought a bronze sculpture looted from Bubon, Turkiye and conspired with prominent experts to disguise its illicit history.

A thread...

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/a...

Arrest Warrant Says Buyer of ‘Nude Emperor’ Bronze Knew It Was Looted

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Angela S Chiu

ARCA @arca-artcrime.bsky.social · Sep 4

A Still Life in Buenos Aires: Misattribution, Mystery, and (more) Nazi-Era Shadows.

art-crime.blogspot.com/2025/09/once...

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Angela S Chiu @chiuangelas.bsky.social · Aug 26

The looted statue of Skanda on a Peacock, whose theft is described by Blue Tiger in the segment, was recovered by US authorities from its owner, a private collector, in 2021 and returned to Cambodia. www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr...

10th Century Statue Looted From Cambodian Temple Is Subject Of Forfeiture Action Filed In Manhattan Federal Court

www.justice.gov

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Angela S Chiu @chiuangelas.bsky.social · Aug 26

BBC Radio 4 broadcast a segment on looting of Cambodian artefacts and efforts to recover them from foreign collections. Hear from former looter "Blue Tiger" as well as restitution team members Brad Gordon and Thida Long. Starts around 19:20: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Stone statue of Skanda on a Peacock, 10th century, Cambodia.

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Reposted by Angela S Chiu

museo_ghosts @noahangell.bsky.social · Aug 24

Museums are hilarious

"Yes, we stole it, why don't YOU reflect on that?"

Caroline Dodds Pennock @carolinepennock.bsky.social · Aug 24

A gobsmacking amount of stolen Indian treasures in the stunning Ancient India exhibit at the British Museum. Many have a caption saying effectively ‘stolen by the East India Company and transferred to the BM when their museum closed down’. And yet they feature this quote without irony…

These days, when I take students to a museum to study objects, someone will always ask me, “How did it get here?” It’s not possible to teach art history any more without reflecting on the provenance of the objects we teach and research about.’
Sujatha Meegama
Community Advisory Panel Member

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Angela S Chiu @chiuangelas.bsky.social · Aug 24

www.khmertimeskh.com/49156/1000-y...

www.khmertimeskh.com

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Angela S Chiu @chiuangelas.bsky.social · Aug 24

are believed to be Nakula and Sahadeva, who are Pandava brothers (and twins). See: www.ice.gov/news/release...

Archived: 3 looted, ancient statues repatriated to Cambodia

Joint efforts by the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, the U.S. Department of State, HSI and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York led to the voluntary return of three statues to ...

www.ice.gov

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Angela S Chiu @chiuangelas.bsky.social · Aug 24

Researchers in Cambodia believe this statue is Balarama, not one of the Pandava brothers. The Prasat Chen tableau of statues is believed to depict Bhima & Duryodhana in combat and those observing this duel including Balarama, who had taught B & D the art of mace-fighting. The "Kneeling Attendants"

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Reposted by Angela S Chiu

Waitman Wade Beorn, PhD, FRHistS @waitmanwbeorn.com · Aug 18

An amazing story.

The Wiener Holocaust Library @wienerlibrary.bsky.social · Aug 18

“I knew nothing about my family history until then...Nobody ever spoke about it.” But that day, she explains, she knew she wanted to find the truth, no matter how dark and shameful.

📰Our latest exhibition was featured in this weekend's @telegraphnews.bsky.social www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/8752340...

‘I tracked down the family of the estate my Nazi great grandparents looted. Here’s what I told them’

After discovering a hidden family history – and some stolen furniture – one woman was determined to make amends

www.telegraph.co.uk

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Reposted by Angela S Chiu

ARCA @arca-artcrime.bsky.social · Aug 15

61 years ago today and Italy is still waiting.

art-crime.blogspot.com/2025/08/61-y...

61 years ago today and Italy is still waiting.

"A blog about art crimes, illicit trafficking, forgery, art theft and cultural heritage protection."

art-crime.blogspot.com

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Reposted by Angela S Chiu

Dan Hicks @profdanhicks.bsky.social · Aug 15

"What isn't at the V&A?" — new from me in @artreview.bsky.social on enduring colonialism, art-washing working class heritage, and a museum without labels
artreview.com/what-isnt-at...

What Isn’t at the V&A Storehouse

You can’t escape it: this is the same colonial museum we know, in a shiny new suit

artreview.com

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Reposted by Angela S Chiu

@mokersel @mokersel.bsky.social · Aug 14

✒️🏺new special thematic issue - Caring for Culture. #openaccess #archaeology #heritage www.cambridge.org/core/journal... 🏺👏

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Angela S Chiu @chiuangelas.bsky.social · Aug 7

Thank you for stirring me to look into this interesting question!

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Angela S Chiu @chiuangelas.bsky.social · Aug 7

Her footnote 151 is to Giteau’s 1965 book, Khmer Sculpture and the Angkor Civilization (Harry N. Abrams), which states that the statue was “Acquired in Thailand.” Here Bunker’s statement is matched by her reference. She doesn't repeat her earlier claim about the museum archives.

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Angela S Chiu @chiuangelas.bsky.social · Aug 7

In Bunker & Latchford’s 2011 book, Khmer Bronzes, she describes Ga.5428 as “The four-armed bronze Maitreya from Thailand in the Phnom Penh Museum… “

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Angela S Chiu @chiuangelas.bsky.social · Aug 7

Her footnote 41 to this statement is to Giteau and Gueret’s 1997 book, which actually only says, “Unknown origin – bought in Siam.” Thus her claim isn’t supported by her reference. She provides no reference to museum records.

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Angela S Chiu @chiuangelas.bsky.social · Aug 7

Regarding Emma Bunker: As noted earlier, she had written in her 2002 article, “The Prakhon Chai Story: Facts and Fiction” (Arts of Asia), that “according to museum records, the bronze was originally acquired in northeastern Thailand.”

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Angela S Chiu @chiuangelas.bsky.social · Aug 7

In sum, Ga.5428 was bought in Bangkok by Coedès for the museum bw the mid 1920s & 1931. The findspot & circumstances of the acquisition are unknown or at least not yet published, as far as I know. I asked someone with access to the museum’s archives to have a look so perhaps more info will emerge.

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Angela S Chiu @chiuangelas.bsky.social · Aug 7

In 1997, Madeleine Giteau & Danielle Guéret published the statue as “Unknown origin – bought in Siam” in their book, Khmer Art: The Civilisations of Angkor (ASA/Somogy). Giteau was a former curator of the National Museum of Cambodia.

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Angela S Chiu @chiuangelas.bsky.social · Aug 7

Dupont was a former member of the EFEO and a research collaborator with George Coedès.

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Angela S Chiu @chiuangelas.bsky.social · Aug 7

In 1955, Pierre Dupont, in his article, “La statuaire préangkorienne” (Artibus Asiae), published the statue & stated that the “provenance is unknown” and that it was “acquired … in Bangkok.”

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Angela S Chiu @chiuangelas.bsky.social · Aug 7

That’s the earliest publication of this statue that I could find. A 1924 catalogue of the museum doesn’t list the piece, so it seems it entered the museum some time between the mid 1920s & 1931.

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