The measure is part of a policy adopted by several countries, after different nations that were the object of colonialism in the 19th century, demanded the return of their works of art.
This claim was further reinforced by the rise of anti-racism movements, as a result of which various Western museums evaluated the provenance of the objects in their collections and initiated restitution procedures.
The seven antiquities that the Glasgow museum handed over to India had been looted from holy places such as temples and donated to the collections of the city’s museums..
Six of those objects had been stolen from northern India in the 1800s and another, a ceremonial sword from around the 14th century, was bought illegally after it was stolen from its owners, the AFP news agency reported.
The measure adopted by the Glasgow museum responds to the decision to return 51 objects, since in addition to the seven destined for India, it also returned 19 bronzes from the ancient kingdom of Benin that it had promised to Nigeria and 25 items – mainly ceremonial objects – of the Cheyenne River and Oglala Sioux tribes of South Dakota, United States.
return this friday “marks an important stage for Glasgow” and seeks that “the legitimate owners” have those works again, he affirmed Duncan Donranresponsible for the museums and collections of GlasgowLifeaccording to the institution’s statement.
“These objects are part of our legacy as a civilization and will now be returned to their countries of origin,” said the acting head of the Indian diplomatic mission in the United Kingdom, Sujit Ghoshwho thanked “everyone who made this possible”, including the city of Glasgow.
Along these lines, last year, the French Government formalized the return to the African country of Benin of 26 works of art looted from the Abomey Palace during the colonial war of the 19th century, which constituted a historic milestone for that nation, which began the claim of their cultural heritage to different countries.
Source: Ambito
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