A BRONZE FIGURE OF VISHNU AND GARUDA, ANGKOR WAT STYLE
Lot 1498 - AK0126

Thailand, 19th century or earlier. Boldly cast, the four-armed Vishnu, holding his traditional attributes, standing half-crouched with his feet resting on the shoulders of his mythical avian vehicle, Garuda, atop a square, stepped plinth. Vishnu clad in a diaphanous sampot and richly bejeweled, his face bearing a serene expression, framed by a tapered crown and a conical chignon. Garuda stands on his avian legs with outstretched wing-like arms, as if poised for flight. His head, also exhibiting avian features, marked by a small curved beak, and crowned with a similarly shaped headdress.

Provenance: From a private collection in Hungary.
Condition: Good condition with typical wear and casting irregularities. The bronze with a dark, naturally grown patina with areas of malachite and soil encrustation.

Weight: 731.8 g
Dimensions: Height 22.7 cm

Images depicting Vishnu mounted on his avian vehicle, Garuda, are referred to as Garudasanamurti. In both Indian and Indonesian representations, the deity is typically shown seated upon the bird, a convention that appears to have prevailed during the Pre-Angkor period, although relatively few early Garudasana images have survived. During the Angkor period, particularly in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, this motif gained notable popularity; in most instances, however, Vishnu is depicted standing on Garuda, as if poised for battle. The majority of bronze examples are small in scale, suggesting they were intended for private devotional use on domestic altars.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related bronze figure of Vishnu riding on Garuda, Khmer Empire, Angkor Wat style, c. 1150, 26 cm high, illustrated in Pratapaditya Pal, Sensuous Immortals. Selection of scultpures from the Pan-Asian Collection, 1979, p. 248, no. 152.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 17 October 2001, lot 171
Estimate: USD 5,287 or approx. EUR 8,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A bronze figure of Vishnu and Garuda, Khmer Empire, Baphuon period, 11th-12th century
Expert remark: Compare the related subject, manner of casting, and decorative style. Note the earlier dating and slightly smaller size (19.1 cm).