A New York gallery has surrendered 20 ancient Cambodian artifacts following evidence that they had been illegally looted and trafficked by a deceased art dealer, according to court documents filed last week. The items, composed of stone and bronze and dating from the second century B.C. to the 13th century A.D., feature depictions of Khmer deities and mythical figures from Cambodia’s historical sites.
The gallery acquired the artifacts from Douglas A.J. Latchford between 1995 and 2005, a period when the dealer was known for supplying museums and collectors with Khmer sculptures. Court filings from the Southern District of New York state that Latchford provided false documents regarding the provenance of the objects. The gallery decided to relinquish the artifacts after being presented with evidence by the Department of Homeland Security indicating the items had been unlawfully removed from Cambodia.
Homeland Security Investigations took custody of these objects in 2022 and 2023, with the formal seizure process completed last month through legal filings. The court acknowledged the gallery’s voluntary surrender of the artifacts following its review of Latchford’s activities and the illegal status of the items. Although the gallery remains unnamed in the filings, Cambodian officials have identified it as the Antiquarium Fine Ancient Arts Gallery located on Madison Avenue in Manhattan. Representatives from the gallery did not respond to requests for comment.
Among the returned pieces is a 10th-century sandstone statue of a Kinnari, a mythological figure combining features of a bird and a woman. Documents linked to this artifact included a fraudulent invoice from Latchford listing its origin as Thailand, coupled with misleading customs paperwork describing it as a generic stone figure. In reality, the statue is a well-documented relic from the Prasat Krachap Temple within the Koh Ker archaeological complex in Cambodia.
Bradley J. Gordon, an attorney representing the Cambodian government in artifact recovery efforts, described the Kinnari statue as a national treasure. He noted archaeologists had previously located the sculpture’s broken base at the remote temple site, helping to confirm its provenance. Gordon has collaborated with U.S. law enforcement for over a decade on recovering hundreds of looted Cambodian antiquities.
The trail leading to the Manhattan gallery began with documents seized from Latchford’s computer by Cambodian investigators. These included an appraisal that Latchford had provided to the gallery in 2007, valuing the Kinnari sculpture at over $400,000. Cambodian officials, armed with this evidence, sought assistance from federal prosecutors in New York to secure the artifacts' return and expressed appreciation for the diligent cooperation between American and Cambodian authorities in this matter.
Latchford, who was indicted in 2019 for trafficking in looted Cambodian relics and falsifying documents, died in 2020 at the age of 88. His indictment was subsequently dismissed following his death. The recovery of these artifacts adds to ongoing international efforts to repatriate cultural property taken illicitly from Cambodia.