Art Institute of Chicago returns 12th-century artifact to Thailand
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Art Institute of Chicago announced Tuesday that it is sending a historical piece of artwork back to its place of origin in Thailand.
The item is a 12th-cenutry fragment of a pilaster, or a rectangular column from the side of a door frame. It shows the god Krishna lifting Mount Govardhana—a sacred Hindu site in India.
Legend says a young Krishna raised the mountain to protect villagers and cowherds from a massive storm sent by Indra, the god of war, rain, and thunder.
The Art Institute previously believed the pilaster came from Cambodia. But new research determined that it had originally been part of the Phanom Rung temple in northeast Thailand.
The Art Institute is committed to provenance research for its entire collection, and reached out to the Thai government upon finding out about the origins of the pilaster.
"We are grateful for our close collaboration with the Fine Arts Department in Thailand and are
honored to take this step in what I hope is a long and productive partnership," James
Rondeau, President and Eloise W. Martin Director of the Art Institute of Chicago, said in a news release. "We are deeply committed to fostering an ongoing relationship and continuing to learn from each other."
The museum had previously returned an item—called the Vishnu lintel—to the same temple in 1988, according to a news release. The lintel has since been remounted in the structure, and the Art Institute hopes the same can happen with the pilaster.
"This act serves as a model for ethical collecting practices and strengthens the bonds of cultural
respect and collaboration between Thailand and the Art Institute of Chicago," Phnombootra Chandrajoti, Director-General of the Fine Arts Department in Thailand, said in a news release. "This valuable artifact is from one of the most significant archeological sites in Thailand and we are glad it is returning to its motherland."
The Art Institute has a growing provenance team to examine its artifacts, and has also established a task force of senior museum leaders who work with curators and researchers to inform the direction of such subjects.