WASHINGTON, DC.- The Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art announced today its plans to return three sculptures to the Government of India, following rigorous provenance research that documented that the sculptures had been removed illegally from temple settings. The Government of India has agreed to place one of the sculptures on long-term loan. This arrangement will allow the museum to publicly share the full story of the object’s origins, removal and return, and to underscore the museum’s commitment to provenance research.

The sculptures “Shiva Nataraja” (Chola period, ca. 990), “Somaskanda” (Chola period, 12th century) and “Saint Sundarar with Paravai” (Vijayanagar period, 16th century) exemplify the rich artistry of South Indian bronze casting.​ These sculptures were originally sacred objects traditionally carried in temple processions. The “Shiva Nataraja,” which is to be placed on long-term loan, will be on view as part of the exhibition “The Art of Knowing in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Himalayas.”

As part of a systematic review of its South Asian collections, the National Museum of Asian Art undertook a detailed investigation into the provenance of the three sculptures, scrutinizing each work’s transaction history. In 2023, in collaboration with the Photo Archives of the French Institute of Pondicherry, museum researchers confirmed that the bronzes had been photographed in temples in Tamil Nadu, India, between 1956 and 1959. The Archaeological Survey of India subsequently reviewed these findings and affirmed that the sculptures had been removed in violation of Indian laws.

“The National Museum of Asian Art is committed to stewarding cultural heritage responsibly and advancing transparency in our collection,” said Chase F. Robinson, the museum’s director. “Because we aim to understand the objects in our collection in their full complexity, we carry out a robust program of research that seeks to trace not just how they came to the museum, but the history of their origins and movements across time. We are establishing field-defining practices for research on Asian art provenance and object histories, expanding our network of global partners and assembling a range of research resources. The return of these sculptures, the result of rigorous research, shows our commitment to ethical museum practice. We are profoundly appreciative to the Indian government for enabling us to continue exhibiting the long-admired Shiva Nataraja for the benefit of our visitors.”

The museum and the Embassy of India are in close contact, finalizing arrangements to mark the agreement. The return was made possible by the National Museum of Asian Art’s dedicated provenance team and curators of South and Southeast Asian Art, with support from the Photo Archives of the French Institute of Pondicherry and numerous organizations and individuals around the world.

Details About the Objects and Their Histories

The “Shiva Nataraja” belonged to the Sri Bhava Aushadesvara Temple in Tirutturaippundi Taluk, Tanjavur District, Tamil Nadu, India, where it was photographed in 1957. The bronze sculpture was later acquired by the National Museum of Asian Art from Doris Wiener Gallery in New York in 2002. In addition to photographic evidence confirming the sculpture’s presence in the temple in 1957, a provenance researcher at the museum determined that the Doris Wiener Gallery had provided falsified documentation to facilitate the sale to the museum.

The “Somaskanda” and “Saint Sundarar with Paravai” entered the collection of the National Museum of Asian Art as part of a gift of 1,000 objects from Arthur M. Sackler in 1987. Research led by the museum’s team at the Photo Archives of the French Institute of Pondicherry confirmed that the “Somaskanda” was photographed at the Visvanatha Temple in Alattur village, Mannarkudi taluk, Tamil Nadu in 1959, and the “Saint Sundarar with Paravai” at the Shiva Temple in Veerasolapuram village, Kallakuruchchi Taluk, Tamil Nadu in 1956.

Provenance Research and Object History at the National Museum of Asian Art

Provenance research involves close examination of an object’s physical characteristics alongside documentary evidence that together inform an understanding of an object’s ownership and movement over time. Researchers identify and inspect information from sources as varied as export licenses, dealer records, inventories, curatorial files, ship manifests, genealogical records, historical photographs, correspondence and many more to construct as robust an ownership history as possible. This research aims to uncover and tell the complex histories of individual objects and the networks of people who have interacted with them over time.

The National Museum of Asian Art has led the field of Asian art provenance research since the early 2000s, refining methodologies, advancing scholarship, building global partnerships and networks and making research findings publicly accessible through its Provenance Program.

In 2011, the museum began publishing provenance information on object web pages and in its galleries. Since 2020, it has collaborated with the Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz (SPK, Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation) to co-host six webinars attended by over 2,500 specialists from around the world, fostering knowledge exchange and advancing standardized approaches to provenance research. In 2023, in partnership with SPK, the museum organized the largest open symposium on the provenance of Asian art. In April 2025, it appointed Nancy Karrels, who holds a doctorate in art history and a J.D., as the associate director of provenance research and object histories. This appointment reinforces the museum’s commitment to ethical stewardship and leadership in provenance research and expands its provenance team to four full-time members, which include a curator of provenance research and object histories and two provenance research technicians. In 2026, the museum will co-host a second international provenance symposium with SPK in Berlin.

The museum’s provenance research has been publicly shared on its website since 2011 and, beginning in 2023, through informational panels in its South Asian galleries. In December 2025, under the Smithsonian’s Shared Stewardship and Ethical Returns Policy, the museum announced its first ethical return of three sculptures to the Kingdom of Cambodia, with one of those cultural treasures to remain on display in the museum on long-term loan.