http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3 http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods-3-2.xsd
303 pages : illustrations (chiefly color), charts, maps ; 29 cm
"Angkor, former capital of the Khmer Empire, has conserved from its glorious past monumental vestiges of incomparable beauty. But today, few remember that those sanctuaries were once populated by divinities and diverse cultic objects cast in precious metals. The subtle alloy of bronze gave birth in Cambodia to masterpieces of statuary testifying to the Khmer sovereigns' faithfulness to both Hinduism and Buddhism. A kingly prerogative, metallurgy was considered sacred, its specialized skills preciously preserved at the royal workshops. Recent excavations have allowed for spectacular advances in our knowledge of that bronze art, which is here highlighted by 200 remarkable bronze works, including the exceptional Reclining Vishu of West Mebon - a Cambodian national treasure and the largest bronze ever discovered at Angkor."--
Introduction / Pierre Baptiste, David Bourgarit, Brice Vincent, and Thierry Zéphir -- Beginnings : from the bronze age to the pre-Angkorian period ; Sources of Copper / Sébastien Clovet, Brice Vincent, David Bourgarit, and Pierre Rostan ; The protohistoric origins of copper metallurgy / Brice Vincent, Clémence Le Meur, and Seng Sonetra ; Casting divine images : early Buddhist and Hindu bronzes / Stephen A. Murphy, David Bourgarit, and Donna Strahan ; Phnom Bayang : Shiva's hill and the treasures of the god / Chloe Chollet, Brice Vincent, and Chea Socheat -- Casting for the king ; Metals in the Khmer epigraphic sources / Dominic Goodall, Chloe Chollet, and Hun Chhunteng ; The royal foundry of Angkor : a closer look at the artisans and their techniques / Brice Vincent, David Bourgarit, Meas Sreyneath, and Eng Tola ; Copper, bronze, and other alloys in Angkorian Cambodia / David Bourgarit and Brice Vincent -- Honoring the gods ; Bronze statuary in Khmer Art : prolegomena / Pierre Baptiste ; Brahmins and Hinduism in ancient Cambodia / Éric Bourdonneau and Dominic Goodall ; The Cambodian prosperity of the Buddha on the Naga / Louise Roche ; The rediscovered life of the temples : cultic utensils and prestige possessions / Dominique Soutif, Meas Sreyneath, and Pierre Baptiste ; The temples' rediscovered decorations : ornamental coppers and bronzes / Sébastien Clouet and Meas Sreyneath -- New worlds, new places, new faith ; The "Angkorean" myth of the Khmer kings (13th-20th Centuries), or a permanent Indianization / Grégory Mikaelian ; Samrit and early modern Cambodia / Martin Polkinghorne ; From palace artisans to contemporary workshops / Gabrielle Abbe and Huot Samnang -- The West Mebon Vishnu : chronicle of a Renaissance ; The statue and the temple-island : an ancient narrative and new Data / Olivier Cunin, Pierre Baptiste, and Brice Vincent ; The awakening of a giant and the world's rebirth : a creation myth revived in the 11th century / Pierre Baptiste and Thierry Zéphir ; A technical tour de force in terms of examination and analysis / David Bourgarit and Brice Vincent ; Preservation and restoration of a masterpiece of Khmer art / Von Noeun, Jane Échinard, Stéphane Lemoine, and Loretta Rossetti.
curation, Pierre Baptiste, David Bourgarit, Brice Vincent, Thierry Zéphir ; translations, Mike Goeden.
This exhibition is organized in partnership with the Guimet - National Museum of Asian Arts, France, with exceptional loans from the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
The publication of this catalog complements the exhibition "Royal bronzes: Cambodian art of the divine" hosted by the Guimet Museum from April 30 to September 8, 2025, with the scientific collaboration of the C2RMG Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France and the EFEO French School of Asian Studies.
This English version of the catalog accompanies the exhibition "Royal bronzes: Cambodian art of the divine," held at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, from October 25, 2025 to January 18, 2026.
The English-language version of Royal Bronzes: Cambodian art of the divine is produced by Mia in coperation with in Fine éditions d'art and the Guiment Museum.
Includes bibliographical references and index.