Trafficked Indian Sculptures

April 4, 2023

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has announced that it will return 15 Indian sculptures that were trafficked and sold.
- All the works were sold by Subhash Kapoor, a convicted Indian-American antiquities smuggler. Kapoor was arrested by Interpol in Germany in 2011 and is currently imprisoned in India.
The works date from the 1^st century BCE to the 11th century CE .
These include terracotta, copper, and stone artifacts such as a Celestial Dancer (Apsara) valued at over $1 million and a stone bust of Kamadeva, the God of Love from the 8th century CE and a Svetambara enthroned Jina from the 8th century CE.
Before Independence, the Antiquities (Export Control) Act was passed in 1947 to ensure that no antiquity could be exported without a license.
Antiquities in India are governed by the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972 which falls within the purview of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Union Ministry of Culture.