Cambodian, Angkor Wat
Vishnu, about 1200
Bronze, 7.6 x 4 cm (3 x 1 9/16 in.)
This is a very small, bronze statue of Vishnu, the Hindu preserver and protector of the universe. As traditionally portrayed, this Hindu god has four arms; the two upper arms are bent at the elbow and angled upward; the lower two arms are also bent at the elbows, but the forearms project forward at a ninety degree angle with the upper arm. The lower right hand holds a short section of what once traditionally represented a mace, and the lower left hand holds a lotus flower, although difficult to discern here. The objects traditionally held in the other two hands cannot be made out in this minuscule statue. Overall the stature is rather roughly carved with minimal detail, yet the squared-chin face and broad eyes, nose and lips are readily seen. A two-tiered conical-shaped hat rests on the head, from which broad locks of shoulder-length hair flank the figure’s face. A thick ornament loosely loops the figure’s upper chest, possibly a garland of flowers. Three bands surround the lower torso fastened in the front with two round knobs, below which hangs a loin cloth. The right leg is completely missing and the left leg has been broken off at the knee. Metal poles are inserted into the legs to allow the figure to stand upright. The metal poles are placed in a square block of wood, used as a stand.
Short Gallery
Commentary
This small standing Vishnu has four arms, two raised to the shoulders, and two held in front. A club is held in one of the lower arms. Though not especially impressive (parts of the legs are missing), this is one of the first pieces of Angkor sculpture to enter an American museum.1
Isabella Gardner was given two religious sculptures in Cambodia in 1883. She tucked a note into her Southeast Asian album that reads: “Vishnu from Angkor Thom. Little Vishnu and piece of native iron from the Camb. interpreter Mr. Hunter.” Her diary confirms that in Phnom Penh Hunter gave her a Vishnu (p. 256, presented November 22). The piece of iron is displayed in the same case in the Short Gallery of the Gardner Museum.
1 Cataloguing advice has been kindly provided by Stanislaw Czuma, Vishakha Desai, and John Guy.
Source: “Objects from Cambodia and Java,” in Journeys East: Isabella Stewart Gardner and Asia, edited by Alan Chong and Noriko Murai (Boston: ISGM and Gutenberg Periscope, 2009): 456
Isabella Gardner was given two religious sculptures in Cambodia in 1883. She tucked a note into her Southeast Asian album that reads: “Vishnu from Angkor Thom. Little Vishnu and piece of native iron from the Camb. interpreter Mr. Hunter.” Her diary confirms that in Phnom Penh Hunter gave her a Vishnu (p. 256, presented November 22). The piece of iron is displayed in the same case in the Short Gallery of the Gardner Museum.
1 Cataloguing advice has been kindly provided by Stanislaw Czuma, Vishakha Desai, and John Guy.
Source: “Objects from Cambodia and Java,” in Journeys East: Isabella Stewart Gardner and Asia, edited by Alan Chong and Noriko Murai (Boston: ISGM and Gutenberg Periscope, 2009): 456