"Buddha Sheltered by the Serpent King Muchalinda" had been on display at the museum since 1997. Researchers discovered the 12th century sculpture was stolen from Guita Bahi in the Kathmandu Valley.

The museum said it learned that the sculpture, "Buddha Sheltered by the Serpent King Muchalinda," was stolen from that country.

The museum’s researchers collaborated with the government of Nepal to determine the sculpture had been stolen from the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal.

The museum said it has initiated the return of a 12th-century sculpture to Nepal after learning “new details” about the sculpture’s history.