Experts are trying to figure out what some of the items were used for
A vast trove of Cambodian Angkorian crown jewellery, some dating back to the 7th century, resurfaced in London last summer, it has been revealed.
The stolen items belonged to well-known antiques smuggler Douglas Latchford.
Experts say they have never seen most of the jewelry before and are amazed by its existence.
The collection was secretly returned to the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh for display in the country’s national museum.
Latchford died in 2020 while awaiting trial in the United States. His family promised to return his stolen collection to Cambodia after his death, but authorities didn’t know exactly what would be handed over or how it would happen.
Brad Gordon, the head of the Cambodia investigative team. was the first representative of the nation to see the jewelry when he visited London last summer. He told the BBC: “I was driven to an undisclosed location by a representative of the Latchford family. There was a vehicle in the parking lot with four boxes in it.
“I felt like crying. I just thought – wow – the crown jewels of ancient Cambodian civilization packed in four boxes in the back of a car.”
When everything was unpacked, the recovered collection contained 77 pieces of gold and jeweled jewelry, including crowns, belts and earrings. A large bowl is believed to date from the 11th century and although it has yet to be tested it appears to be solid gold. Experts believe it may have been used as a rice bowl for Angkor royalty.
It is possible that some of the jewelry was looted from temples like Angkor Wat
Experts believe that one of the crowns predates Angkor and may have been made by artisans in the 7th century. Other items, including a small carved flower, pose a mystery. Experts just don’t know why it was made or how it was used.
How and when exactly the jewelry was stolen and how it got to London is still unclear. Many of the items can be compared to stone carvings in the walls of Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Construction of the world’s largest religious monument began in 1122 as a dedication to the Hindu god Vishnu, although decades later it was converted into a Buddhist temple.
Angkor Wat was heavily looted during the French colonial era. However, many of Cambodia’s other temples were looted during the Khmer Rouge era of the 1970s and decades of unrest.
Archaeologist Sonetra Seng studied jewelry from Angkor for years by examining temple carvings. Finally she can hold the real thing.
“The jewelry proves what was on the carvings and what was rumored is actually true. Cambodia was really, really rich in the past,” she says. “Nevertheless, I can’t believe it, especially that it comes from a single collection found abroad.”
Archaeologist Sonetra Seng recognized some of the jewelry from temple carvings
Some of the jewelry had appeared before; Douglas Latchford included five items from the collection in a book he co-wrote with collaborator Emma Bunker in 2008, entitled Khmer Gold. Khmer antiquities expert Ashley Thompson describes this book and two others as lavish sales brochures that give private collectors a taste of what has been illegally sold behind the scenes.
“Publishing these materials, inviting other scholars to contribute, and comparing the items to museum pieces was a way of validating them and relating them to known materials already in museums and effectively increasing their value.” increase,” she explained.
Ms Thompson, a professor of Southeast Asian art at SOAS University of London, says it will be a long time before experts figure out where the newly discovered jewelry really came from because the book is so full of half-truths.
“You certainly can’t take for granted everything that is said about provenance or current ownership,” she explained while flipping through the book and pointing out the manner in which Latchford and Bunker’s ownership of the various pieces of jewelry described . “Thai private collection, London private collection, New York private collection, Japanese private collection, etc. You must be very careful.”
77 items were recovered, some made of solid gold and others set with jewels
Cambodian authorities believe more Angkorian jewelry remains to be found. The Cambodians have evidence from Latchford’s email correspondence that as late as 2019 he was attempting to secretly sell the collection from a north London warehouse.
We asked the London Metropolitan Police whether they were also investigating Latchford’s British employees. They declined to comment, noting they do not identify anyone under investigation before charging them with a crime.
Last year the BBC traveled to Cambodia to meet looters who became government witnesses and identified items they allegedly stole from temples and sold to Latchford. Some of these items have been matched by investigators to museum pieces now housed in respected British institutions such as the British Museum and the V&A.
One of the women the BBC interviewed at the time – nicknamed the Iron Princess – will also work to identify some of the jewellery.
For now, the return of the collection is welcomed by the country’s autocratic leader, Hun Sen. Elections are due in July, and with his ruling party effectively crushing the opposition, this development is being portrayed as something Hun Sen did to the benefit of his people.
Politics aside, ordinary Cambodians want all looted items back. After being hidden in dusty boxes for decades, it will soon be on public display in Phnom Penh, making this jewelry shine again.
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