London's Wellcome Collection is to restitute 2,000 manuscripts that had been acquired in 1919 at "a low price" from a Jain temple in what is now Pakistan. This represents the largest group of Jain manuscripts outside South Asia. A Memorandum of Understanding on the formal transfer is being signed at the House of Commons this evening.
After a long stay away from this land, it is returning to its own people and it is an honour for us and a relief to welcome it. This is the missing piece of the puzzle that is returning today. Receiving this sacred instrument is a relief, but it is also another form of connection with our ancestors who were very close to this instrument.
After more than 25 years of debate and delay, we have moved beyond words and into action. This commission is not just a technical body; it is a commitment to historical integrity and a long-awaited bridge to justice for those whose heritage was stolen.
VATICAN CITY The Vatican on Saturday returned 62 artifacts to Indigenous peoples from Canada, a historic restitution that is part of the Catholic Church's reckoning with its role in helping suppress Indigenous culture in the Americas. Pope Leo XIV gave the artifacts, including an iconic Inuit kayak, and supporting documentation to a delegation of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, which is expected to return them to individual Indigenous communities.
She is an enduring global symbol of beauty, power and mystery who has fascinated Hitler, Beyonce and Arab Spring activists alike: Queen Nefertiti, whose name translates to "the beautiful one has come," is one of the most iconic figures of the ancient world. The Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten who radically transformed Egyptian religion by promoting the worship of the single sun god, Aten ruled more than 3,300 years ago.
Set to be unveiled next March, the new Gilbert Galleries have been designed by the London-based Citizens Design Bureau practice. The number of galleries will increase from four to seven and will occupy adjacent former offices overlooking both the John Madejski Garden and Exhibition Road, as part of the V&A's Future Plan development programme. Project funders include the Gilbert Trust for the Arts and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
