The art newspaper informs, that the 15 sculptures given to India span the period from the first century B.C. to the XI century AD
All the objects were once sold by Subhash Kapoor, a convicted dealer in looted antiquities who used to run the Art of the Past gallery in Manhattan. Last November, a court in India sentenced Kapoor to ten years in prison for his involvement in the theft and illegal export of artifacts from the country.
Photo: ArtNews, Subhash Kapoor
The Met has come under scrutiny in recent years as questions have surfaced about the hundreds of antiquities Kapoor acquired in Egypt, Turkey, India, Cambodia and other countries.
Just last week, two objects dating back to the third century AD—a bronze statue stolen from the Bubon archaeological site and a sculpture bust stolen from the Perge archaeological site—were returned to Turkey.
Photo: Bronze statue from Bubon and bust from Pergé
A report by the Met, published earlier this month, found that more than 1000 objects in the museum's collection have direct links to individuals who are either suspected of or convicted of trafficking in looted antiquities.
Many other institutions, including the National Gallery of Australia, returned works they had acquired from Kapoor.
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