In a landmark restitution ceremony held in Jakarta, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has formally returned a collection of exquisite 14th-century gold jewelry and ceremonial ornaments from the Majapahit Empire. The items, which include ornate ear plugs, armbands, and a royal pectoral, were identified as having been illegally exported from East Java during the late 20th century. This return is part of a broader cooperation agreement between the Met and the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture to strengthen provenance research.
Museum officials noted that the craftsmanship of these pieces highlights the sophisticated metallurgical skills of the Majapahit era, often considered the golden age of Indonesian history. The repatriation follows several years of meticulous archival work that traced the artifacts back to looted archaeological sites in the Trowulan region. The objects will now be housed in the National Museum of Indonesia, where they will serve as centerpieces for a new gallery dedicated to pre-colonial maritime empires.