The National Museum of Asian Art (NMAA) at the Smithsonian Institution announced on January 28 that it will return three cast-bronze sculptures of Hindu deities to the Indian government. These sculptures, taken from Tamil temples and illicitly exported from India in the mid-20th century, have unclear provenance records prior to their acquisition by the Smithsonian.
One of these bronzes, “Shiva Nataraja” from the Chola dynasty (circa 990 CE), will stay at the NMAA under a long-term loan agreement for an ongoing exhibition. This arrangement has sparked debate over the Indian government’s authority to loan what is considered religious property of the originating temple.
Acquired by the Smithsonian in 2002 from the Doris Wiener Gallery, the “Dancing Shiva” was linked to Subhash Kapoor, a convicted dealer in stolen antiquities. After Doris Wiener’s passing, her daughter Nancy pleaded guilty to trafficking looted artifacts, including items sourced from Kapoor. The NMAA subsequently shared the provenance data of the “Shiva Nataraja,” revealing its acquisition by Doris in 1973 from London’s Rajrama Art Gallery, post the 1972 Antiquities and Art Treasures Act.
The India Pride Project, led by Vijay Kumar and Anuraag Saxena, found evidence that the “Shiva Nataraja” was photographed at Sri Bhava Aushadesvara temple in Tamil Nadu in 1957. Kumar emphasized the temple’s readiness to receive the bronze, stating, “It’s a well-settled matter that bronzes are property of the temple.”
Two additional bronzes, “Somaskanda” and “Saint Sundarar with Paravai,” will be returned to the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC. Both casts, photographed at temples in Tamil Nadu in the 1950s, were part of a 1987 donation from Arthur M. Sackler to the Smithsonian. While the Alattur temple is prepared to welcome “Somaskanda,” an ongoing criminal case related to its theft requires court oversight for its return. Kumar noted that more than 10 bronzes have been successfully returned to their original temples through the India Pride Project in recent years.
