Collection of rare centuries-old jewellery returns to Cambodia
Aspectacular collection of centuries-old Cambodian jewellery has been returned to the Southeast Asian country. The latest treasures were retrieved from the estate of well-known antiquities collector and dealer Douglas Latchford, who was accused of buying and selling looted artifacts.
Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts announced that 77 pieces of Cambodian jewellery from the Latchford family collection arrived back in their homeland. The ministry said that the collection included items “such as gold and other precious metal pieces from the pre-Angkorian and Angkorian period including crowns, necklaces, bracelets, belts, earrings and amulets.”
The return of the items followed a September 2020 agreement with the Latchford’s family under which all Cambodian artifacts in their possession would be returned to Cambodia.
The statement from Cambodia’s Culture Ministry quoted its minister, Dr Phoeurng Sackona, as saying that “the repatriation of these national treasures opens a new era of understanding and scholarship about the Angkorian empire and its significance to the world.”
She encouraged “private individuals, museums as well as other institutions around the world that are in possession of Cambodian artifacts to cooperate with the Royal Government of Cambodia through the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts or through Cambodian embassies to return Cambodian cultural heritage objects.”
Other stone and bronze artifacts were returned in September 2021.
Latchford, known as both an expert and a dealer in Cambodian and Indian antiquities, died in August 2020 at the age of 88 in Bangkok, Thailand, where he spent several decades.
Experts believe many items he handled were looted from Cambodia during periods of war and instability, including in the 1970s when the country was under the brutal rule of the communist Khmer Rouge.
Latchford, however, denied any involvement in smuggling or other wrongdoings. He died before he could be extradited to the United States to face charges.
After his death, at least 30 sandstone and bronze sculptures and artifacts were sent back to Cambodia from the US by their owners either voluntarily or after court action. They included items held by the Denver Art Museum in Colorado.
“We consider such returns as a noble act, which not only demonstrates important contributions to a nation’s culture, but also contributes to the reconciliation and healing of Cambodians who went through decades of civil war and suffered tremendously from the tragedy of the Khmer Rouge genocide,” the ministry said.