Two ancient artifacts held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York have been returned to Cambodia, authorities said.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office's Antiquities Trafficking Unit said it presented evidence to the museum showing the items were linked to a smuggling network connected to antiquities dealer and gallery owner Nancy Wiener.
Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts said the artifacts were returned following their seizure by the Manhattan district attorney’s office. The ministry thanked prosecutors and the trafficking unit for facilitating the restitution.
The objects include a sandstone lintel dating to the seventh or eighth century and a 10th-century sandstone statue.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art previously returned 14 sculptures to Cambodia on July 3, 2024.
