Description

A different dealer from Manhattan, yet with a similar story to the stolen Shiva recently returned to India, a Buddha statue from Mathura,Uttar Pradhesh has recently been found to have been an illicit antiquity. Also sold to the National Gallery of Australia, the ownership history of the item had been forged to cover up its illicit past. The gallery clearly did not exercise due diligence when purchasing the item, the Assistant Director stating, “At the time of purchase, the gallery was operating in a very different environment, in which there was a practice of not contacting previous owners.” New guidelines for the industry have been introduced since the Subhash Kapoor Shiva scandal, leaving over 2 dozen items now worthless and in need of repatriation. While the museum is attempting to sue Kapoor, he is currently in an Indian jail.