1 20 2 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/77763/archive/files/4834be51fe289e49bc02023d4f8b7bf4.jpg?Expires=1779926400&Signature=gKDM6KQD5FJsbuirZI5iWwT-Ls4WQdAA1QdzPcroUKTu5CZrPdaVzXwC4tcDODdYSdMfz91UCu2NyeeX3dkN7th7nb2%7EDqKVprmStwI-VwcHeeEb3B-KDdmckPlvT2PP-SxfyFr9JhnILXGnKeWijlZwmvbDJJROSn-8bUaSIu-bOuou9-NAKGDVKGw6IfWXqajVCyKBrJzA2bQePPj%7EQkIBovT9iFHfSdVZxtHZLkIbw%7EJQxjGQYKMAZfEoXAQGUSQ-ptPVjib3kkaoI1IlyXvZz9rpQeOs3ZUtsa22AeInsQneKPJNJepSC7xBbEDdnrsDWTj9FncObFi7dMDQhg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 804a40bff6f530ca07e305a8f6ae22cf Physical Object An inanimate, three-dimensional object or substance. Note that digital representations of, or surrogates for, these objects should use Moving Image, Still Image, Text or one of the other types. Object or Group Name The common English name of the object or group of objects. Lintel from Prasat Nong Hong Case Summary Narrative summary of the object’s looting, identification by authorities and repatriation. The Nong Hong lintel was removed from above one of the inner sanctum doorways of Prasat Nong Hong temple in Buri Ram Province, Thailand at some point in the 1960s. Both it and the Khao Lon lintel later surfaced in the private collection of Avery Brundage, an industrialist and International Olympic Committee president who donated over 7,000 Asian artworks and antiquities to the city of San Francisco from 1959 through the 1970s, forming the core collection of what is now the Asian Art Museum. In 1966, the same year the Asian Art Museum opened, Brundage had bought the Nong Hong lintel from a London auction house for USD$15,000 after a Paris dealer commissioned it for sale, investigators found. The Paris dealer told Brundage one of the lintels had been stolen from Thailand, while another artifact had been taken out of Thailand illegally, court records show. A second dealer told Brundage that one of the lintels had been reported stolen by Thailand, whose 1934 Act on Ancient Monuments, Objects of Art, Antiquities and National Museums prohibited its export without a permit. Thai authorities had asked Brundage for the return of the lintels before he died in 1975. Brundage had proposed that both stay on display at the San Francisco museum, calling it a “wonderful advertisement for your country and it’s culture.” The Thai government had thanked Brundage for his offer but said it “would be happier if it did not involve theft and mutilation of our monuments.” The claim went unresolved for decades until 2016, when Thai Archaeologist Tanongsak Hanwong was conducting research for his doctorate at Burapha University and discovered images of the lintels in the San Francisco museum’s catalogs. He recalled black and white slides from university classes that showed the lintels in situ in the 1950s. One slide, dated to 1959, showed the Prasat Nong Hong lintel specifically. Tanongsak remembered it because it was unique: Yama, lord of death, rarely decorated Khmer temples in Thailand. Tanongsak initiated a new online campaign for their return, eventually convincing the Thai consul general in San Francisco to visit the museum in person and request their return. The museum did not respond to the consul general, so Thai officials reached out to the U.S. government in May 2017 and organized a formal Thai repatriation committee that included Tanongsak. The Thai government then issued an official request for the repatriation of the artifacts. That began a three-year probe led by Homeland Security Investigations that eventually resulted in the forfeiture of the two lintels. The Asian Art Museum claimed that the repatriation was already in progress when the government seized them. In 2020, the museum removed a bust of Brundage from its vestibule, acknowledging that he was known as a Nazi-sympathizer who had championed anti-semitic views and was investigated by the FBI for ties to the Nazi party. "We took down the bust because Brundage’s racist, sexist and anti-Semitic words, and actions, simply don’t reflect our values as a public museum that welcomes everyone," the museum stated. In a ceremony in Los Angeles on May 2021, the lintels began what Manasvi Srisodapol, Thailand’s Ambassador to the United States, called their “sacred journey back home.” The pair is now on display at the Bangkok National Museum in Phra Nakhon. Object Type Type of object based on its function. Select from drop-down list. Architecture – antefixes, doors, sconces, friezes Number of Objects Count of objects reflected in this record. 1 Object Materials Material(s) that the object or group of objects is made of. Select from drop-down list. Sandstone Description of Object(s) Provide a brief description of the object or objects in the record. A sandstone lintel from Nong Hong temple in northeastern Thailand Country of Origin The modern country of origin that this object came from (i.e. where it was found). Select from drop-down list. Thailand Findspot Approximate site or location where the object was found (i.e. the archaeological provenience). Prasat Nong Hong, Buri Ram Province, Thailand Private Collector Person who acquired the object for their personal collection. Avery Brundage Museum Donation or Purchase? How did the museum acquire the object(s)? Select from drop-down list. Purchase Repatriated? Repatriation status of the object. Select from drop-down list. Yes Sending Country Country from which the object was returned during repatriation. Select from drop-down list. USA Returning Entity Institution or individual that returned the object to its country of origin (not a law enforcement agency). Asian Art Museum of San Francisco Receiving Country Country that received the object during repatriation. Select from drop-down list. Thailand Sources Reliable sources of information related to the object and its repatriation. Preference to primary sources (court records, documents, archival sources) and authoritative secondary sources (media reports, blogs etc.). For links, use a stable URL via Internet Archive. Two Thai artifacts in a San Francisco museum were stolen. Now, they’re on their way home <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-03-26/archaeologist-thai-artifacts-san-francisco-asian-art-museum">https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-03-26/archaeologist-thai-artifacts-san-francisco-asian-art-museum</a> Asian Art Museum Deaccessioning Two Sandstone Lintels <a href="https://about.asianart.org/press/asian-art-museum-deaccessioning-two-sandstone-lintels/">https://about.asianart.org/press/asian-art-museum-deaccessioning-two-sandstone-lintels/</a> Images Source of the images uploaded to this record. Images should be labeled A, B, C, etc. For links, use a stable URL via Internet Archive. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20230523131011/https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2020/10/30/us-presses-for-return-of-two-thai-lintels-from-asian-art-museum-in-san-francisco-to-thailand">https://web.archive.org/web/20230523131011/https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2020/10/30/us-presses-for-return-of-two-thai-lintels-from-asian-art-museum-in-san-francisco-to-thailand</a> Documents Link to key records or publications related to the object that are not available online. <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24244977-consulate-note-with-attachment-of-formal-retrievel-letter">https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24244977-consulate-note-with-attachment-of-formal-retrievel-letter</a> <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/press-release/file/1331741/download">https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/press-release/file/1331741/download</a> Status Completion status of MOLA record. Select from drop-down list: Stub (Needs basic research), Incomplete (Missing key fields), In progress (Has been assigned), Ready for review (Complete; awaiting peer review) and Completed (Ready to publish). Only Completed records are made Public. Completed MOLA Contributor(s) Person(s) who contributed to the information in this record. Anonymous is an acceptable entry. Damien Huffer Alternate Name(s) Other names by which the object or group is known; these may be formal titles, museum titles or colloquial titles, if different from the above Object or Group Name. Nong Hong temple lintel Size General size of the object (numbered 1-5); 1 - small or fragmentary (e.g. coins or sherds) 2 - medium (e.g. most vases) 3 - large (e.g. between a bread box and an adult) 4 - extra large (i.e. adult human sized) 5 - monumental (larger than an adult human) 4 Culture Ancient culture associated with the object. Khmer Date Looted Approximate year that the object or group of objects was excavated or stolen. 1960s or later Dealer Person(s) who offered the object for sale. Unnamed French dealer Museum Name Name of the institution that held this object before it was repatriated. Please use the official name of the institution. Asian Art Museum, San Francisco Year Acquired Year that the object was acquired by the institution. 1966 Last Known Price, Valuation or Estimate The most recent reported price, valuation or estimate of the object. Should be displayed in USD, alongside list price in original currency. 15,000 Year of Last Price Year of the most recent reported price, valuation or estimate of the object. 1966 Value in 2024 US Dollars Value in 2024 US Dollars, adjusted for inflation. Use inflation calculator here: https://www.oanda.com/currency-converter/en/?from=EUR&to=USD&amount=1 142,785 Year Returned Year of the return of the object to its country of origin. 2021 Law Enforcement Entity The law enforcement entities that investigated the object before its repatriation. HSI Reason for Return Why the object was returned. Select from list: Law enforcement seizure; court ordered civil forfeiture; claim from country of origin; voluntary return absent a forfeiture or claim; or other. Court ordered civil forfeiture Claim from country of origin Current Location Place where the object is currently held. Provide as much information as possible (Institution, City and Country, when known). Bangkok National Museum Peer Reviewed By Person who peer reviewed this record. Jason Felch Creation Date Year this object was created, in years BCE/CE; use circa if presenting a range. Use specific year, decade or century. 975 to 1025 C.E. Auction Realized Price Approximate sale price of the object at auction. Should be displayed in USD, alongside list price in original currency. 15,000 Museum Accession Number Number associated with the acquisition of the object. B66S10 Museum Curator Curator who facilitated the acquisition of the object. Charles P. deYoung See Also Additional records within MOLA that are other objects of interest. These are objects related to a larger collection. Breakout records have omitted 2024 Value information and Number of Objects. <a href="https://mola.omeka.net/items/show/1259">Lintel from Khao Lon Temple</a> Gallery Name of the gallery, shop or dealership where the object was offered for sale, with the name of the city where the gallery was located in parentheses. unnamed London gallery Expert Review Person(s) who analyzed the object or wrote about its authenticity, value or significance. Include here credit to people who identified the object as looted (relevant publications can be listed in Sources). Tanongsak Hanwong Prosecuting Entity The prosecutorial entity involved in the object’s repatriation. US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of CA Court Case and Number Title of the civil or criminal case and number (e.g. New York v. Subhash Kapoor, CR-022431-19NY). UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff, v. TWO ONE-THOUSAND-FIVE-HUNDREDPOUND, HAND-CARVED LINTELS REMOVED FROM RELIGIOUS TEMPLES IN THAILAND Operation Name The trafficking network, or the name given to investigation by law enforcement entity. Avery Brundage investigation Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Lintel from Prasat Nong Hong Asian Art Museum of San Francisco Thailand https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/77763/archive/files/e76cd782898572e79d34ee8e5b0ae230.jpg?Expires=1779926400&Signature=q%7EH6Um22cGhd0VvQtVoJEK2AA22LxgK7yVd6RfkEw4XJ8CbNeYpcIcf3vHg9U%7EpqaUdgNV7O1TymZjtNb1OSER9w-ccLnGbESFMLxihedRJnytmcEoi%7E5qbw6VptcBPUPngNH%7E1HNz9vB9Ko6EdyMwWIaMZTt26Krix17Om9UXKPPkMDDTM0l72LcPoB0dnmby-Sz0NGrjilJFMsXwDM9scP1oKGPOprFJ8FIa5MxWDNVRW59hjL35lDknSb2qy9JkljGLpY9mc2CK1VbUXVGvYUmOghKhDjt%7EpiRsYTkcFvJYgXD%7EGOFaWTT53wYBWhAzM82Lv0xs6TQTZyMECdWQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM bac320202ce2e308ff1d0095168ad412 Physical Object An inanimate, three-dimensional object or substance. Note that digital representations of, or surrogates for, these objects should use Moving Image, Still Image, Text or one of the other types. Object or Group Name The common English name of the object or group of objects. Lintel from Khao Lon Temple Object Type Type of object based on its function. Select from drop-down list. Architecture – antefixes, doors, sconces, friezes Number of Objects Count of objects reflected in this record. 1 Object Materials Material(s) that the object or group of objects is made of. Select from drop-down list. Sandstone Description of Object(s) Provide a brief description of the object or objects in the record. A sandstone lintel from Khao Lon Temple in northeastern Thailand Creation Date Year this object was created, in years BCE/CE; use circa if presenting a range. Use specific year, decade or century. 975 to 1025 C.E. Country of Origin The modern country of origin that this object came from (i.e. where it was found). Select from drop-down list. Thailand Findspot Approximate site or location where the object was found (i.e. the archaeological provenience). Khao Lon Temple Private Collector Person who acquired the object for their personal collection. Avery Brundage Museum Donation or Purchase? How did the museum acquire the object(s)? Select from drop-down list. Purchase Repatriated? Repatriation status of the object. Select from drop-down list. Yes Sending Country Country from which the object was returned during repatriation. Select from drop-down list. USA Returning Entity Institution or individual that returned the object to its country of origin (not a law enforcement agency). Asian Art Museum of San Francisco Prosecuting Entity The prosecutorial entity involved in the object’s repatriation. US Attorney's Office Northern District of CA Law Enforcement Entity The law enforcement entities that investigated the object before its repatriation. DHS/HSI Receiving Country Country that received the object during repatriation. Select from drop-down list. Thailand Reason for Return Why the object was returned. Select from list: Law enforcement seizure; court ordered civil forfeiture; claim from country of origin; voluntary return absent a forfeiture or claim; or other. Court ordered civil forfeiture Claim from country of origin Sources Reliable sources of information related to the object and its repatriation. Preference to primary sources (court records, documents, archival sources) and authoritative secondary sources (media reports, blogs etc.). For links, use a stable URL via Internet Archive. US presses for return of two Thai lintels from Asian Art Museum in San Francisco to Thailand <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20230523131011/https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2020/10/30/us-presses-for-return-of-two-thai-lintels-from-asian-art-museum-in-san-francisco-to-thailand">https://web.archive.org/web/20230523131011/https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2020/10/30/us-presses-for-return-of-two-thai-lintels-from-asian-art-museum-in-san-francisco-to-thailand</a> Lintels at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco to return to Thailand <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20230204055618/https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2021/02/23/lintels-at-the-asian-art-museum-of-san-francisco-to-return-to-thailand">https://web.archive.org/web/20230204055618/https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2021/02/23/lintels-at-the-asian-art-museum-of-san-francisco-to-return-to-thailand</a> Asian Art Museum Deaccessioning Two Sandstone Lintels <a href="https://about.asianart.org/press/asian-art-museum-deaccessioning-two-sandstone-lintels/">https://about.asianart.org/press/asian-art-museum-deaccessioning-two-sandstone-lintels/</a> Two Thai artifacts in a San Francisco museum were stolen. Now, they’re on their way home <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-03-26/archaeologist-thai-artifacts-san-francisco-asian-art-museum">https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-03-26/archaeologist-thai-artifacts-san-francisco-asian-art-museum</a> After Five Decades in San Francisco, Two Lintels Repatriated to Thailand <a href="https://hyperallergic.com/650128/after-five-decades-in-san-francisco-two-lintels-repatriated-to-thailand/">https://hyperallergic.com/650128/after-five-decades-in-san-francisco-two-lintels-repatriated-to-thailand/</a> Documents Link to key records or publications related to the object that are not available online. <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24244977-consulate-note-with-attachment-of-formal-retrievel-letter">https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24244977-consulate-note-with-attachment-of-formal-retrievel-letter</a> <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/press-release/file/1331741/download">https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/press-release/file/1331741/download</a> Status Completion status of MOLA record. Select from drop-down list: Stub (Needs basic research), Incomplete (Missing key fields), In progress (Has been assigned), Ready for review (Complete; awaiting peer review) and Completed (Ready to publish). Only Completed records are made Public. Ready for review MOLA Contributor(s) Person(s) who contributed to the information in this record. Anonymous is an acceptable entry. Jason Felch Size General size of the object (numbered 1-5); 1 - small or fragmentary (e.g. coins or sherds) 2 - medium (e.g. most vases) 3 - large (e.g. between a bread box and an adult) 4 - extra large (i.e. adult human sized) 5 - monumental (larger than an adult human) 4 Peer Reviewed By Person who peer reviewed this record. Damien Huffer Alternate Name(s) Other names by which the object or group is known; these may be formal titles, museum titles or colloquial titles, if different from the above Object or Group Name. Prasat Khao Lon lintel Case Summary Narrative summary of the object’s looting, identification by authorities and repatriation. At some point after 1959, the Khao Lon lintel was removed from the eastern entryway to the inner sanctum of Prasat Khao Lon in the Sa Kaeo Province of Thailand. A second lintel disappeared from Prasat Nong Hong, in the same province, in 1967. Both later surfaced in the private collection of Avery Brundage, an industrialist and International Olympic Committee president who donated over 7,000 Asian artworks and antiquities to the city of San Francisco from 1959 through the 1970s, forming the core collection of what is now the Asian Art Museum. Investigators found records showing Brundage had acquired the Khao Lon lintel in 1966 from a London gallery, while the second lintel was acquired from a Paris dealer in 1968. The Paris dealer told Brundage one of the lintels had been stolen from Thailand, while another artifact had been taken out of Thailand illegally, court records show. A second dealer told Brundage that one of the lintels had been reported stolen by Thailand, whose 1934 Act on Ancient Monuments, Objects of Art, Antiquities and National Museums prohibited its export without a permit. Thai authorities had asked Brundage for the objects return. Before he died in 1975, Brundage had proposed that both stay on display at the San Francisco museum, calling it a “wonderful advertisement for your country and it’s culture.” The Thai government had thanked Brundage for his offer but said it “would be happier if it did not involve theft and mutilation of our monuments.” The claim went unresolved for decades until 2016, when Thai Archaeologist Tanongsak Hanwong was conducting research for his doctorate at Burapha University and discovered images of the lintels in the San Francisco museum’s catalogs. He recalled black and white slides from university classes that showed the lintels in situ in the 1950s. Tanongsak initiated a new online campaign for their return, eventually convincing the Thai consul general in San Francisco to visit the museum in person and request their return. The museum did not respond to the consul general, so Thai officials reached out to the U.S. government in May 2017 and organized a formal Thai repatriation committee that included Tanongsak. The Thai government then issued an official request for the repatriation of the artifacts. That began a three-year probe led by Homeland Security Investigations that eventually resulted in the forfeiture of the two lintels. The Asian Art Museum claimed that the repatriation was already in progress when the government seized them. In 2020, the museum removed a bust of Brundage from its vestibule, acknowledging that Brundage was known as a Nazi-sympathizer who had championed anti-semitic views and was investigated by the FBI for ties to the Nazi party. "We took down the bust because Brundage’s racist, sexist and anti-Semitic words, and actions, simply don’t reflect our values as a public museum that welcomes everyone," the museum stated. In a ceremony in Los Angeles on May 2021, the lintels began what Manasvi Srisodapol, Thailand’s Ambassador to the United States, called their “sacred journey back home.” The pair is now on display at the Bangkok National Museum in Phra Nakhon. Culture Ancient culture associated with the object. Khmer Date Looted Approximate year that the object or group of objects was excavated or stolen. 1959 or later Dealer Person(s) who offered the object for sale. Unnamed French dealer Museum Name Name of the institution that held this object before it was repatriated. Please use the official name of the institution. Asian Art Museum of San Francisco Museum Accession Number Number associated with the acquisition of the object. B68S13 Year Acquired Year that the object was acquired by the institution. 1968 Last Known Price, Valuation or Estimate The most recent reported price, valuation or estimate of the object. Should be displayed in USD, alongside list price in original currency. 8,000 Year of Last Price Year of the most recent reported price, valuation or estimate of the object. 1968 Value in 2024 US Dollars Value in 2024 US Dollars, adjusted for inflation. Use inflation calculator here: https://www.oanda.com/currency-converter/en/?from=EUR&to=USD&amount=1 72,388 Year Returned Year of the return of the object to its country of origin. 2021 Current Location Place where the object is currently held. Provide as much information as possible (Institution, City and Country, when known). Bangkok National Museum Museum Curator Curator who facilitated the acquisition of the object. Charles P. deYoung See Also Additional records within MOLA that are other objects of interest. These are objects related to a larger collection. Breakout records have omitted 2024 Value information and Number of Objects. <a href="https://mola.omeka.net/items/show/1260">Nong Hong temple lintel</a> Gallery Name of the gallery, shop or dealership where the object was offered for sale, with the name of the city where the gallery was located in parentheses. unnamed London gallery Expert Review Person(s) who analyzed the object or wrote about its authenticity, value or significance. Include here credit to people who identified the object as looted (relevant publications can be listed in Sources). Tanongsak Hanwong Court Case and Number Title of the civil or criminal case and number (e.g. New York v. Subhash Kapoor, CR-022431-19NY). UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff, v. TWO ONE-THOUSAND-FIVE-HUNDREDPOUND, HAND-CARVED LINTELS REMOVED FROM RELIGIOUS TEMPLES IN THAILAND Operation Name The trafficking network, or the name given to investigation by law enforcement entity. Avery Brundage Investigation Images Source of the images uploaded to this record. Images should be labeled A, B, C, etc. For links, use a stable URL via Internet Archive. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20230523131011/https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2020/10/30/us-presses-for-return-of-two-thai-lintels-from-asian-art-museum-in-san-francisco-to-thailand">https://web.archive.org/web/20230523131011/https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2020/10/30/us-presses-for-return-of-two-thai-lintels-from-asian-art-museum-in-san-francisco-to-thailand</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Lintel from Khao Lon Temple Asian Art Museum of San Francisco Thailand