U.S.' Denver Art Museum returns looted 10th century sculpture to Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, March 28 (Xinhua) -- The U.S.'s Denver Art Museum on Monday officially returned a 10th century sandstone sculpture taken from a Cambodian temple during civil-war era to Cambodia.

Christoph Heinrich, director of the Denver Art Museum, handed over the piece, torso of Rama, to Yim Nolson, vice-chairman of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of Cambodia, at a ceremony here.

"The torso of Rama had been in the museum's collection for nearly 30 years before its return," said a joint statement released at the ceremony.

The statement said during the course of research into works in the museum's collection and following conversations with colleagues in Cambodia, the Denver Art Museum became aware of new facts related to the piece about its provenance that were not available to the museum when the object was acquired in 1986.

The piece is a monumental sandstone sculpture of Rama with a quiver behind his right shoulder, it said, adding that the piece dates to the early 10th century, and stands 62 inches high and is missing its head, arms and feet.

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