INDIA RECOVERS LOST SCULPTURE OF BRAHMA AND HIS CONSORT

LONDON: A 12th century sculpture of Brahma and his consort Brahmani stolen from Gujarat in 2001 has been recovered by a company which specialises in recovering lost art and antique pieces.

Indian high commissioner Navtej Sarna will formally take possession of the sculpture from the Art Loss Register (ALR) in India House here on Friday. Official sources said the sculpture was stolen from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Rani-kiVav in Patan, Gujarat, in November 2001. It resurfaced in London in 2015 in an advertisement by an art dealer.

The sculpture was handed over to Art Loss Register after the owner realised that it was procured illicitly, a source said.

The artefact was detected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and as a result of the efforts of Kirit Mankodi, a retired archaeologist who has been working on recovering stolen Indian art for several years.

It was examined by a team of experts from ASI. After several rounds of discussions and examination, it has now been authenticated as the original statue. Both ALR and Mankodi contributed to ASI’s analysis and examination of the sculpture.

The ALR describes itself as the world’s largest private database of lost and stolen art, antiques and collectables. Its range of services includes item registration, search and recovery services to collectors, the art trade, insurers and law enforcement agencies across the world.