Stolen 1500-year-old statue returned to China

Beijing. Jul 16. Silkroadnews - The head of the 1500-year-old statue, which was stolen from the Yungang grottoes in Shanxi province in China has been returned to China, China Plus reports.
The 26.5-cm-tall, 12-cm-wide statue head was donated to the Shanxi Museum by John S. C. Wang and his wife on Friday, the publication reads.
The smiling figure has a tall nose, slim eyes and lips, long ears, and a hat in the nomadic Xianbei tribe style.
According to Zhao Kunyu, Yungang grottoes Research Institute, the head of a statue dating to 1500 years before the Northern Wei dynasty (386-535), was stolen in around 1925 from a cave in Yungang grottoes.
71-year-old Wang is a teacher of calligraphy at Freier Art Gallery and Artur M. Sackler gallery. He found the head of the statue when he worked as an adviser to an auction house.
“I was amazed by its delicate carving and the peaceful facial expression,” Wang said, adding that he bought it from a third-generation collector who did not appreciate antiques as much as his ancestors.
This is the second time when Wang donated artifacts from the Yungang Grottoes to China. In 2016, Wang gave the head of a Buddha statue to one of the museums.
More than 59,000 statues were carved in 45 caves in Yungang Grottoes, which were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2001.