A pair of 7th-century stone carvings collectively worth about $3.5 million have been repatriated to China, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced this week.
Both pieces are thought to have been cut from a burial platform in a Chinese tomb in the early 1990s. They were loaned to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1998 by prominent collector and philanthropist Shelby White, who now sits on the institution’s board of directors.
The objects have lived in the museum’s warehouses for the past 25 years and have never been displayed publicly. It is unclear how White acquired the parts.
The relics were returned during a repatriation ceremony at the Chinese consulate on Tuesday, May 9.
“Cultural properties embody human wisdom and creativity,” Consul General Huang Ping said in a statement. “They are the link between the past and the present. They are also an important bridge connecting different countries and cultures.
“That is why we consider the repression of crimes against cultural property as a sacred mission,” he added.
The ornate stone carvings, which span several feet in length and weigh more than 1,000 pounds, depict scenes from the Zoroastrian religion. Among the symbols engraved on their surface are demons, dogs and masked guardians of the sacred flame.
“It is unfortunate that these two incredible antiques were stolen and that at least one remained largely hidden from public view for nearly three decades,” said DA Bragg. “Although their total value is over $3 million, the incredible detail and beauty of these pieces can never truly be captured by a price tag.”
The sculptures are just two of 89 antiquities from 10 different countries seized by Bragg’s office as part of a criminal investigation into White’s collection. Together, the objects are valued at nearly $69 million.
The investigation, overseen by the head of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Bogdanos, dates back years. In June 2021, the prosecutor’s office issued a search warrant at the collector’s home in New York, where authorities seized five artifacts. Another search, conducted in April 2022, yielded 18 additional items.
When asked for a comment via email, Bogdanos simply said: “We did what we are legally authorized, even mandated, to do. We carried out a criminal investigation, we seized a series of stolen antiquities (including the superb Chinese sculptures) and we repatriated them to their rightful owner, here China.
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