Recovery of a limestone sculpture looted from Afghanistan

#StolenLimestoneSculptureRecovered; #Kabul #NationalMuseumOfAfghanistan; #BritishMuseum

London (England), Jan 24 (Canadian-Media): Recovery of a limestone sculpture stolen from the National Museum of Afghanistan some 30 years ago at a London auction house will be on display at the British Museum before it is returned to Kabul, media reports said.

Limestone sculpture. Image credit: Facebook Page

Limestone statue, known as the Surkh Kotal Bull had been part of a second century A.D. ceremonial frieze in a temple at the site of Surkh Kotal, was excavated in northern Afghanistan in the 1950s and put on display at the museum.

It was spotted by the members of the Art Loss Register, while reviewing items, and offered it for sale.

In 2001, Taliban  sledge-hammered the frieze along with about 75 percent of the museum’s artifacts. “It is the only one to be recovered,” said St. John Simpson of the British Museum. “All of the other limestone blocks—more than a dozen—are still missing.”