A BRONZE TRIAD OF VISHVAKARMAN WITH ATTENDANTS, YONIS AND SPOUTS, ANGKOR PERIOD, BAYON STYLE

Khmer Empire, 12^th-13^th century. Separately cast, the celestial architect seated half-kneeling on a rectangular base, flanked by attendants on either side. The deity’s right hand raised, holding an axe while the left rests on his recumbent knee. He is wearing a short striated sampot tucked around the belt and elegantly tied with a butterfly tang to the back. His serene face with almond-shaped eyes and full lips flanked by elongated earlobes with pendeloque earrings, the hair arranged in a high chignon, backed by a foliate headdress.

The consorts are similarly poised, also separately cast, dressed in short sampots, and embellished with foliate jewelry which adorn their bare torsos.

The group is supported on a separately cast pedestal, each fitted on a stepped yoni terminating in a tapered spout, all backed by a flaming mandorla adorned with scrolling vines flanking a diminutive seated figure of Vishnu sheltered by a mucalinda and a large kirtimukha to the base. (4)

Provenance: From the collection of Olivier Maréchal, Belgium, acquired in Thailand in 2007. A copy of a provenance statement, written and signed by Olivier Maréchal, dated 15 November 2024, confirming the above, accompanies this lot. Olivier Maréchal (b. 1973) is a noted Belgian collector and dealer specializing in the arts of India, Vietnam, and Thailand. He began his career in the mid-1990s, learning from his father who helped him with his first purchases. He later managed Surya Gallery in Brussels, Belgium.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Wear, casting irregularities, minuscule losses, scattered nicks and scratches, small chips, and signs of weathering and erosion. Repairs to one loop-attachment on the pedestal. The bronze with a rich, naturally grown patina with vibrant malachite encrustations.

Weight: 6,253 g
Dimensions: Height 31 cm

Vishvakarman was first mentioned in ancient India in the Epics and Puranas and is still worshiped by Indian and Cambodian craftsmen today. Khmer architects would beseech Vishvakarman for guidance when planning the construction of a temple. The god was not introduced to Khmer until the 12^th century, a time which coincided with Jayavarman VII’s initiation of his vast building programs; the god’s name is mentioned on a stele from the king in 1191. Despite being a Hindu deity, he was passionately adopted by Khmer Buddhists who created a vast number of sculptures of bronze and stone to commemorate the divine architect.

Expert’s note:
The stepped plinth matches the three figures forming this triad. The three oblong holes pierced at the top, for the mounting of the figures, appear to have been added or at least refined later, however still within the Angkor period, as evidenced by a distinct natural patina with extensive encrustations of malachite which appear uniformly across the triad and pedestal. The appearance of yonis with spouts on the pedestal is highly unusual. For another example, also with a yoni and spout, see a bronze figure of Vishnu, Khmer, Angkor period, Bayon style, 13^th century, at Christie’s New York, 20 March 2012, lot 168.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related bronze altarpiece with Buddha enthroned, Angkor Wat period, 12^th century, 26.8 cm high, in the Cleveland Museum of Art, accession number 1942.149.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s Paris, 11 December 2013, lot 345
Price: EUR 49,500 or approx. EUR 60,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An important bronze group of a Buddhist triad, Khmer, Bayon style, 13^th century
Expert remark: Compare the related subject and similar modeling and pedestal. Note the size (39.5 cm).