Art treasures that were returned to India by National Gallery of Australia

Schenelle Dsouza 

On July 29, National Gallery of Australia announced that it will return 14 works of art from its Asian art collection to the Indian Government.

The collection includes 13 objects connected to art dealer Subhash Kapoor and one acquired from art dealer William Wolff.

This is the fourth time that the NGA has returned antiquities it bought from Subhash Kapoor to the Indian government.

Subhash Kapoor, who previously owned the Art of the Past gallery in Manhattan, was arrested in 2012 for allegedly running a $100 million international smuggling racket.

This one is the largest collection of six sculptures, six photographs, a painted scroll and a processional standard to be repatriated by the gallery. Other three sculptures sourced from Art of the Past have also been removed from the collection.

1. Tamil Nadu, India The child-saint Sambandar, 12th century, purchased 1989. 

2. Tamil Nadu, India The dancing child-saint Sambandar, 12th century, purchased 2005. 

3. Hyderabad, Telangana, India, Processional standard [alam], 1851 purchased 2008.

4. Mount Abu region, Rajasthan, India, Arch for a Jain shrine and Seated Jina 11th-12th century, purchased 2003 (two separate works). 

5. Rajasthan or Uttar Pradesh, India, The divine couple Lakshmi and Vishnu [Lakshmi Narayana], 10th-11th century, purchased 2006.

6. Gujarat, India, Goddess Durga slaying the buffalo demon [Durga Mahisasuramardini], 12th-13th century, purchased 2002. 

7. Rajasthan, India, Letter of invitation to Jain monks; picture scroll [vijnaptipatra] c 1835, purchased 2009. 

8. Lala D. Dayal, Maharaja Sir Kishen Pershad Yamin, 1903, India, purchased 2010.

9. Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, not titled [‘Manorath’ portrait of donor and priests before Shri Nathji, Udaipur, Rajasthan], unknown date, purchased 2009. 

10. Guru Das Studio, not titled [Gujarati family group portrait], India,  purchased 2009.

11. Shanti C. Shah, Hiralal A Gandhi memorial portrait, 1941, India, purchased 2009.

12. Venus Studio, India, not titled [Portrait of a man], 1954, purchased 2009.

13. Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, not titled [Portrait of a woman], unknown date, purchased 2009.

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