A RARE COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF DATTATREYA, POST-ANGKOR PERIOD
This lot is a museum deaccession and is therefore offered without reserve

Cambodia, 17th-18th century or earlier. Standing in samabhanga, embodying the unified form of the Trimurti, represented by the three heads of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. The six arms hold attributes associated with each deity, including a conch, discus, mace, staff, scripture, and lotus. The deity is dressed in a long, richly incised dhoti with central fishtail fold, and his body is adorned with two necklaces.

The central head representing Vishnu bears the Vaishnavite tilaka. The right face is Shiva’s, with a tripundra on the forehead and an elegant mustache. The left face belongs to Brahma with an oval urna. Each face bears a serene expression with wide almond-shaped eyes, deeply incised brows, and full lips, the hair pulled up into a neatly arranged jatamukuta.

Provenance: Galerie Hardt (established in 1976), Radevormwald, Germany, before 2020. Acquired by the gallery’s founder Peter Hardt (b. 1946) during his extensive travels in Asia, the first of which occurred during a formative world tour in 1973. Throughout his storied career, Peter Kienzle-Hardt organized countless exhibitions and participated in major international art fairs. He made many important contacts during this time and eventually met the Kienzle siblings, who shared his passion for Asian art and culture. A strong bond and deep friendship developed, ultimately leading to the creation of the Museum für Asiatische Kunst decades later in 2014. While the museum’s permanent exhibition predominantly comprised pieces from the Kienzle Family Collection, Peter Kienzle-Hardt supplemented it with objects from his own collection. Before his death in 2019, Horst Kienzle bequeathed his entire property to Peter and legally adopted him as his son, who has been using the name Peter Kienzle-Hardt ever since.
Labels: Galerie Hardt, printed ‘Dattatreya – Trimurti Stil. Reg #S19045. Kambodscha. 17/18 Jahrhundert. Kupferhaltige Bronze’, and priced at EUR 12,750. 
Condition: Overall good condition with expected wear and manufacturing irregularities including casting patches. The legs with old repairs, possibly inherent to the manufacture. Minor losses mostly to the back, few small nicks, small dents, light surface scratches, remnants of gilt and pigment, encrustations. The back with a large aperture, and two additional compartments to the legs, the latter sealed. The bronze with a fine, naturally grown, smooth patina, with areas of malachite encrustation.

Weight: 9.5 kg (excl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 46.6 cm (excl. stand), 52 cm (incl. stand)

With an associated acrylic stand. (2)

This finely cast bronze represents Dattatreya, the composite Hindu deity who embodies the Trimurti—Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva—in a single unified form. The iconographic core remains consistent with classical Indian representations: three heads symbolizing the three gods and six arms holding their respective attributes. The serene expression and composed stance evoke Dattatreya’s role as both divine embodiment and spiritual teacher, bridging the domains of asceticism and cosmic power. This representation first appeared in medieval Hindu art, particularly sculpture and temple reliefs from the 12th century in regions such as Kalinga and South India. However, depictions of this deity in Southeast Asian art are exceedingly rare, with no other examples found in public or private collections.

The present sculpture is stylistically attributable to post-Angkor Cambodia, likely dating from the late 17th or 18th century, when bronze casting continued under royal patronage at the court of Oudong, then the capital. Following the decline of Angkor as a political center, Hindu imagery persisted even as Theravada Buddhism rose to dominance. In this context, the sculpture can be understood not merely as a replication of Indian models but as a localized adaptation, combining Khmer formal aesthetics with Hindu metaphysical symbolism. Distinctive features such as the rounded facial contours, stylized topknot, and the sharp fishtail hem of the lower garment situate the work within the visual language of late Khmer bronze sculpture, distinguished by its polished surfaces, compositional symmetry, and restrained ornamentation.

This sculpture underscores the permeability of cultural and religious boundaries in early modern Cambodia, where Indic iconography continued to be transmitted, transformed, and recontextualized, and shows how post-Angkor artisans selectively engaged with classical Indian models, preserving their spiritual potency while adapting them to local sensibilities. As both a rare representation of Dattatreya in a Southeast Asian context and a finely executed devotional object, the work stands as a testament to the resilience and adaptability of Hindu imagery in Cambodia’s complex religious landscape.

Literature comparison:
Compare a later Indian silver figure of Dattatreya, dated late 19th-early 20th century, 127.3 cm high, at Bonhams New York, 17 September 2014, lot 168.

Auction result comparison: 
Type: Related 
Auction: Christie’s New York, 17 September 1998, lot 191
Price: USD 9,200 or approx. EUR 15,800 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing 
Description: A bronze group of a deity on a bird, Khmer, Post Angkor period, circa 15th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling and manner of casting with similar facial features. Note the different subject and the size (39.5 cm).