Cambodia Receives Two Looted Khmer Antiquities From New York Museum

PHNOM PENH, June 11, 2026 (KPT) — Cambodia has welcomed the return of two Khmer antiquities from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art following their seizure by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in a cultural property trafficking investigation.

A formal handover ceremony took place in New York on June 10, marking the transfer of the artefacts to Cambodian authorities.

The repatriation follows the museum’s return of 14 Khmer objects in December 2023 after years of negotiations with Phnom Penh.

The two works are a sandstone lintel with a kala motif from the pre-Angkorian period, dating to the seventh or eighth century, and a 10th-century sandstone sculpture of the demon Hiranyakasipu from Prasat Chen temple at Koh Ker.

Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts said investigators linked both objects to the trafficking network of art dealer Nancy Wiener, who was later convicted in the United States. The museum agreed to their return after evidence was presented.

The ministry noted the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has played a key role in recovering Khmer heritage over the past decade, with investigations into networks involving Wiener, Douglas Latchford and Spink & Son leading to dozens of artefacts being repatriated.

Cambodia expressed gratitude to District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Assistant District Attorney Matthew Bogdanos’s team for their support, and welcomed the museum’s ongoing review of its Khmer collection in cooperation with Cambodian authorities.

Experts including Bradley J. Gordon of Edenbridge Asia, Malina Antoniadis of NOSTOS Strategies, and Éric Bourdonneau of the French School of the Far East contributed to the identification of the Koh Ker sculpture.

The ministry said the return reflects Cambodia’s continued commitment to recovering looted cultural property and preserving its heritage.