- ADVERTISEMENT -The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art is returning to the Indian government three bronzes, museum leaders told The Washington Post, after extensive provenance research indicated that the objects were removed from their original sites illegally. Museums could deaccession and return objects based on ethical considerations alone, as well as collaborate with origin communities for their care. The National Museum of Asian Art has a team of four people working on provenance research, larger than other museums of its size, Robinson said. The “Shiva Nataraja” arrived in the museum later, acquired in 2002 through New York’s now-infamous Doris Wiener Gallery. It was not the only stolen Shiva Nataraja that passed through the Wieners’ hands – another was returned from the Asia Society in 2021.