ART

A Thai prince, sent by his country to broker an agreement with the Art Institute of Chicago to return an 800-year-old stone carving to the Thai government, is now accusing the prestigious museum of behaving like “a trading company.” Originally, the institute announced that the carving, “The Birth of Brahma with Reclining Vishnu on a Makara,” would return to Thailand in exchange for a highly favorable sculpture loan program. But Saturday, Prince Diskul Subhadradis said the two sides were at an impasse. The Thai government contends the sculpture was stolen from a temple during the Vietnam War. Institute officials say it was donated by a foundation. “Maybe we should steal an Impressionist painting from here and offer a trade,” Subhadradis joked.