Central

Section 2 of The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972

(1)In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,--
1. (a)"antiquity" includes--
(1)(i) any coin, sculpture, painting, epigraph or other work of art or craftsmanship;
1. (ii)any article, object or thing detached from a building or cave;
2. (iii)any article, object or thing illustrative of science, art, crafts, literature, religion, customs, morals or politics in bygone ages;
3. (iv)any article, object or thing of historical interest;
4. (v)any article, object or thing declared by the Central Government, by notification in the Official Gazette, to be an antiquity for the purposes of this Act, which has been in existence for not less than one hundred years; and
5. (II)any manuscript, record or other document which is of scientific, historical, literary or aesthetic value and which has been in existence for not less than seventy-five years;
6. (b)"art treasure" means any human work of art, not being an antiquity, declared by the Central Government by notification in the Official Gazette, to be an art treasure for the purposes of this Act having regard to its artistic or aesthetic value: Provided that no declaration under this clause shall be made in respect of any such work of art so long as the author thereof is alive;
7. (c)"export" means taking out of India to a place outside India;
8. (d)"licensing officer" means an officer appointed as such under section 6;
9. (e)"registering officer" means an officer appointed as such under section 15;
10. (f)"prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act.
(2)Any reference in this Act to any law which is not In force in any area shall, in relation to that area, be construed as a reference to the corresponding law, if any, in force in that area.

Summary

An art treasure is a human work of art that is not an antiquity, but is declared an art treasure by the Central Government due to its artistic value.
An artwork cannot be declared an art treasure if the person who created it is still alive.
Exporting means taking an item out of India to any place outside of India.
If this law refers to another law that does not exist in a specific area, it should be read as referring to whatever similar local law is active in that area.

Practical examples

1Raj finds a beautiful bronze statue created in 1910. Because the current year is 2026, the statue is over 100 years old and automatically qualifies as an antiquity.

2The Central Government wants to declare a beautiful modern painting as an art treasure to prevent it from leaving the country. However, because the painter, Priya, is still alive and painting in Delhi, the government is legally blocked from doing so.

3A historian finds a rare scientific journal from 1960. Even though it has historic value, it is only 66 years old in 2026, so it does not yet meet the 75-year rule to be an antiquity.

FAQ

1. Can a newly created masterpiece be protected as an art treasure?

Not immediately. An artwork cannot be declared an art treasure by the government as long as the artist who made it is still alive.

2. What does exporting mean in this law?

Exporting simply means taking the item out of India to any location outside India.

Test yourself

Q1.Under Section 2 of The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, how old must a manuscript or document be to qualify as an antiquity?

Q2.Under Section 2 of The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, which condition completely prevents the Central Government from declaring a human work of art as an art treasure?

Q3.Under Section 2 of The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, what is the general age requirement for an object like a coin or sculpture to be considered an antiquity?

Q4.Under Section 2 of The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, a "licensing officer" is defined. Based on the cross-reference to Section 6, what specific qualification must this officer hold?

Q5.Under Section 2 of The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, what does the term "export" mean?

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