The three sculptures -- “Shiva Nataraja” (Chola period, ca. “The National Museum of Asian Art is committed to stewarding cultural heritage responsibly and advancing transparency in our collection,” museum director Chase F. Robinson said. According to the museum, the “Shiva Nataraja” originally belonged to the Sri Bhava Aushadesvara Temple in Tirutturaippundi Taluk in Tamil Nadu, where it was photographed in 1957. The sculpture was later acquired by the National Museum of Asian Art from the Doris Wiener Gallery in New York in 2002. The National Museum of Asian Art, which opened in 1923, houses one of the world’s most significant collections of Asian art and is free to the public.