Cambodia prepares return of 18 Khmer antiquities from London
The collection spans the 10th to 13th centuries. Researchers will examine the objects’ origins after they reach Cambodia.
Eighteen Khmer antiquities and fragments have been handed to Cambodia’s London embassy for repatriation, Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts announced on October 30. The ministry will arrange shipment of the objects, which date from the 10th to 13th centuries.
The recovery took place in London in November 2025. The Metropolitan Police Service’s Art and Antiques Unit carried it out with assistance from the Heritage Crime Task Force of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Cambodia sought restitution formally in September 2026, following identification of their Cambodian origins.
The items range from sculptures carved in stone to bronze objects for rituals and pieces of jewellery. Two sculpted heads are among them: a sandstone example in the Baphuon style from the latter half of the 11th century, and a Bayon-style piece dated to the late 12th century.
The group also contains figures shown dancing on a pedestal, ornaments featuring pendants, a ceremonial bronze lamp and a Buddhist bell fitted with a handle shaped like a vajra.
After arrival, researchers at the ministry and the National Museum of Cambodia will examine the antiquities alongside archaeological records and fieldwork findings to better establish their histories and places of origin.
The ministry also stressed their importance to communities’ beliefs. It said Khmer tradition treats consecrated statues as beings possessing souls and as homes for deities. Removing sacred objects, it added, severs communities’ links with their past, customs and collective memories.
