- Advertisement -WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art has announced it will return three historic South Indian bronze sculptures to India after provenance research established that the works were illegally removed from temple settings decades ago. The three sculptures — “Shiva Nataraja” (Chola period, circa 990), “Somaskanda” (Chola period, 12th century), and “Saint Sundarar with Paravai” (Vijayanagar period, 16th century) — are considered significant examples of South Indian bronze-casting traditions. “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. 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.