The Art Institute of Chicago announced on Monday that it is returning a 12th-century sculpture titled "Buddha Sheltered by the Serpent King Muchalinda" to Nepal after new research found that the object had been stolen. The decision followed a collaborative agreement between the museum and the Government of Nepal, acknowledging that the sculpture had been unlawfully removed from the Guita Bahi monastery in the Kathmandu Valley.
The museum displayed the sculpture regularly since 1997 and featured it in several landmark exhibitions. An official statement from the museum shared its findings with the Embassy of Nepal in Washington, D.C., initiating the process of repatriation.
"This return reflects the importance of provenance research, as well as the Art Institute's outreach and collaboration with countries and communities," said Jacques Schuhmacher, executive director of the Art Institute of Chicago's Provenance Research, according to the museum's announcement. "We are grateful to work in partnership with our colleagues from Nepal to return this object to its place of origin, and to collaborate and learn from each other into the future."
The sculpture is a work of religious art, measuring approximately 17.5 inches by 13 inches and carved from schist, a dark metamorphic rock. It depicts "a powerful story of divine intervention and protection: During a sudden and violent storm, the serpent king Muchalinda rose to form a protective cave around the Buddha, permitting him to remain in deep meditation," as described by the Art Institute of Chicago. The narrative is central to Buddhist teachings and holds cultural and spiritual importance in Nepal.
"This sacred sculpture is a carrier of stories, traditions, and values that have shaped Nepal's religious, spiritual, and cultural identity for centuries. Its return strengthens the bond between heritage and community, ensuring future generations can connect with their history," said Sharad Raj Aran, Chargé d'affaires ad interim of the Embassy of Nepal, in a news release reported by CBS News. "We deeply appreciate the collaboration with the Art Institute of Chicago in making this repatriation possible, and we look forward to building on this partnership through continued dialogue and future collaboration in the areas of cultural preservation, research, and exchange," he added.
While the exact timeline for the artifact's repatriation remained unconfirmed, Schuhmacher stated that the sculpture is now in the hands of the Nepali government and will eventually return to its original home.
In recent decades, intense pressure was applied on institutions to better source their acquisitions and understand how existing holdings came to be in their collections. The pressure came from multiple sources, including families whose artworks were stolen or sold under duress during World War II, countries in Asia or South America where objects were looted from archaeological sites, and Indigenous tribes who lost sacred objects generations ago.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.