Gallery to return seated Buddha to India

The National Gallery of Australia has appointed a former High Court judge to examine the provenance of 54 items in its Asian art collection.

Australia will return a valuable ancient Buddha statue to India.

The National Gallery of Australia bought the red sandstone sculpture for $1.2 million from the US Nancy Wiener Gallery in 2007.

But questions have been raised over the statue's provenance and the NGA has decided it's too difficult to get to the bottom of the matter.

The New York gallery has agreed to refund the purchase price despite maintaining confidence in the provenance of the statue.

Both galleries "in the spirit of good will" believe it's best to donate the statue to a Indian museum or gallery.

The seated Buddha will be transported to India later this year.

The sculpture was made during the Kushan period - 2nd century BC to 3rd century AD.

Meanwhile, former High Court Judge Sue Crennan has been appointed to examine the provenance of 54 items in the NGA's Asian art collection.

She will evaluate research and determine whether the artworks' acquisitions comply legally and ethically with Australian and international laws and guidelines.

Last year, the NGA returned to India a 900-year-old dancing Shiva statue that turned out to be stolen.

New York dealer Subhash Kapoor, who is on trial in India for allegedly running an international smuggling racket, sold it to the gallery for $5.6 million.


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Source: AAP


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