NEW YORK, NY.- The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today the loan of 14 ancient sculptures from the Republic of Yemen. The works, dating from the first century B.C.E. through the third century C.E., were voluntarily repatriated to the Republic of Yemen from the Hague family collection located in New Zealand. The Republic of Yemen then reached out to The Met to request that the objects be held at the Museum, where they will be studied and catalogued, until Yemen wishes for their return. The loan follows the historic custodial agreement established between The Met and Yemen in 2023, by which The Met is now caring for and displaying two ancient stone works repatriated from its own collection, a return initiated by the Museum after provenance research led by Met scholars established that the works rightfully belong to the Republic of Yemen.

“The Met is honored to be entrusted with this remarkable collection of objects, and by the continued strengthening of the Museum’s relationship with the Republic of Yemen,” said Max Hollein, The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and CEO. “I am grateful to His Excellency Mohammed Al-Hadhrami, Ambassador of the Republic of Yemen, and Tim Lenderking, U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen, for their partnership in this agreement and for the shared value of stewardship that underlies it. In addition to offering exciting opportunities for research in the context of the Museum’s collection, this loan represents The Met’s ongoing commitment to international collaboration and to the protection and preservation of artistic and cultural heritage from around the world.”

“The Government of Yemen expresses its deep appreciation to the Hague family in New Zealand for voluntarily returning 14 invaluable ancient Yemeni artifacts back to the Yemeni people from their private collection,” said Mohammed Al-Hadhrami, Ambassador of the Republic of Yemen to the United States. "While the current situation does not allow for the immediate repatriation of these artifacts to Yemen, we are thankful that they will be preserved and studied at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. This is yet another example of our growing and essential collaboration to safeguard Yemen's cultural heritage.”

The 14 loan objects are stone and bronze sculptures most of which likely originate from the Bayhan district of the Shabwa Governorate in Yemen. This region includes the ancient city of Timna, capital of the Qataban kingdom, one of the major powers in ancient southwestern Arabia and a hub of the ancient international incense trade. Most of the objects are likely funerary, or votives that would have been placed in a funerary context, and many are made of the translucent golden-yellow calcite alabaster that characterizes much funerary art of ancient southwestern Arabia.

One of the loaned objects is an outstanding example of a Qatabanian funerary stele that portrays the deceased, a woman, standing and holding her arms in a common gesture usually interpreted as one of prayer or piety. Several other works are complete or partial depictions of human heads, all of which are likely to have been part of funerary stelae, busts, or statues. These works represent male and female figures in a range of styles, most of which are not currently represented in The Met’s collection. Additional objects include sculptures featuring ibex imagery—a key motif in southwestern Arabian art—along with an inscribed stele, a stone incense burner, and interesting examples of bronzeworking.