900-year-old Statue Returns to Thailand After Decades in New York

[webfact]

 

A 900-year-old statue, smuggled out of Thailand by a notorious art dealer in 1975, has finally been returned home after spending over three decades in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

 

The 129-centimetre bronze statue, known as the Golden Boy and believed to depict the Hindu god Shiva, along with a smaller statue of a kneeling woman, touched down at Suvarnabhumi International Airport yesterday. These artefacts were then taken to the National Museum Bangkok, where an official welcoming ceremony will precede their public display.

 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art decided to return these artefacts after confirming their link to Douglas Latchford. In 2019, Latchford was charged for stealing treasures from Southeast Asia. According to evidence, the Golden Boy, crafted over 900 years ago, was smuggled by Latchford from Thailand. Documentation shows the sculpture was discovered in Ban Yang Pongsadao village in Buri Ram’s Lahan Sai district.

 

 

From 1988 to 2023, the statue was part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection, sparking debates among scholars regarding its identity. While it is traditionally thought to depict Shiva, archaeologist Tanongsak Hanwong believes otherwise. He posits that the Golden Boy is actually a depiction of King Jayavarman VI, the monarch who built the Phimai stone castle in Buriram.

 

Tanongsak, a member of the committee for the repatriation of stolen artefacts, explains that the sculpture’s style is more in line with Phimai stone castle carvings than typical Shiva representations. "The statue resembles carvings from the Phimai stone castle, suggesting it depicts King Jayavarman VI (1080 to 1107 AD) of the Mahidharapura Dynasty, who established the Phimai site as the Khmer Empire’s administrative centre,” he notes.

 

Recent findings support that the Khmer Empire initially flourished along the Khorat Plateau before moving to Siem Reap in Cambodia, contrary to previous beliefs.

 

The Ministry of Culture and the Fine Arts Department plans an official repatriation ceremony this afternoon at Issara Winitchai Throne Hall, Bangkok National Museum.

 

Picture courtesy: Thai Rath

 

-- 2024-05-21

 

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[nobodysfriend]

Looks Khmer to me , more than thai ... but a nice piece .

[soalbundy]

A beautiful casting showing great skill in metal working 900 years ago.

[BritScot]

And when is Thailand returning said stolen jewellery to Saudi? Ah shhhhh can't talk about Blue diamonds and who was seen wearing it....

[SABloke]

1 hour ago, nobodysfriend said:

Looks Khmer to me , more than thai ... but a nice piece .

 

Article alludes that is is Khmer 

[roquefort]

Phimai is in Nakhon Ratchasima, not Buriram.

 

Clearly not written by an AI.

[ikke1959]

900 years ago Thailand did not exist.. It was Khmer kingdom

[BangkokReady]

40 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

900 years ago Thailand did not exist.. It was Khmer kingdom

 

Some Thais don't like to acknowledge the Khmer influence (origins?) on their culture.

[Captain Monday]

 

Nice to see the Golden Child back home but 

Before it was smuggled out was it robbed from a temple or museum or did some Thai sell

to the notorious art crim ?

[jts-khorat]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Recent findings support that the Khmer Empire initially flourished along the Khorat Plateau before moving to Siem Reap in Cambodia, contrary to previous beliefs.

 

As so often in these "news" articles, which are badly researched, the truth is exactly the other way round.

 

During the period the Khmer empire florished, it extended its control along the Mekong over the whole Khorat plateau, erecting local administrative centres.

 

Jayavarman VI ruled during a time, where there had not even any Tai (much less Thai)-speaking peoples coming as invaders from the north, and while the eastern part of today's Thailand was under Khmer control, the west was under Ari and maybe even Indonesian-originated control.

[Elkski]

Beey smooth lines.  A very large casting.  Beautiful figure. 

[BayArea]

9 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

Looks Khmer to me , more than thai ... but a nice piece .

that's because it is. anything older than 700 years old in Thailand is usually Khmer, Mon, or Burmese. 

But the typical Thai ego believe that it belongs to " Thai" culture since it was produced on their soil regardless of origin. 

[BayArea]

5 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

 

Some Thais don't like to acknowledge the Khmer influence (origins?) on their culture.

they rather drink poison before that ever happens! 

[SABloke]

21 hours ago, BayArea said:

that's because it is. anything older than 700 years old in Thailand is usually Khmer, Mon, or Burmese. 

But the typical Thai ego believe that it belongs to " Thai" culture since it was produced on their soil regardless of origin. 

The whole article (including the Thai archeologist) state that it is Khmer from the era when the Khmer Kingdom existed on current Thai geographical land. Where is the "Thai ego" you're talking about?

[BayArea]

1 hour ago, SABloke said:

The whole article (including the Thai archeologist) state that it is Khmer from the era when the Khmer Kingdom existed on current Thai geographical land. Where is the "Thai ego" you're talking about?

I was not referring to this particular article. I was referencing to the past practice of the Thai government and her people's penchant for claiming all things Thai even though it was created or built by the Khmer culture. the dispute over Preah Vihear is a prime example. 

[greeneking]

On 5/21/2024 at 10:47 PM, BayArea said:

that's because it is. anything older than 700 years old in Thailand is usually Khmer, Mon, or Burmese. 

But the typical Thai ego believe that it belongs to " Thai" culture since it was produced on their soil regardless of origin. 

And if it was still abroad it would encourage interest in Thailand. 'Soft power' anyone?

 

[Dcheech]

On 5/21/2024 at 2:08 PM, BritScot said:

And when is Thailand returning said stolen jewellery to Saudi? Ah shhhhh can't talk about Blue diamonds and who was seen wearing it....

 

You are saying Thai Prime Minister Chan-Ocha  DID NOT, bring back the blue & assorted other gems when he visited Saudi Arabia in early 2022 to normalize relations after thirty years in the freezer??   Experts claim relations could not be normalized by any other method, than the return of those items & the Thai Prime Minister had to do so in person.