A MASSIVE SANDSTONE FIGURE OF A GUARDIAN LION, ANGKOR PERIOD, 11TH-13TH CENTURY

A MASSIVE SANDSTONE FIGURE OF A GUARDIAN LION, ANGKOR PERIOD, 11TH-13TH CENTURY

Khmer Empire. Boldly carved, depicted seated on its haunches, with its tail raised and closely following the line of its back until it merges with the mane, which, together with the dense arrangement of thick curls covering its prominent chest, frames the powerfully modeled head of the animal. Its fierce expression is defined by a pair of bulging eyes and a flattened snout, with an upturned nose and a gaping mouth revealing its dentition.

Provenance: An old Dutch private collection, assembled in the 1960s and 1970s. Collection of Jacques Cremer, Engelen, Netherlands, acquired from the above.

Jacques Cremer (b. 1965) inherited from his father both a passion for collecting and a remarkable assemblage of antiques, meticulously acquired over several decades. Building upon this legacy and enriching it with pieces of his own selection, he founded his private antique gallery, Tjitra, in Engelen, Netherlands. Specializing in the arts of the Far East and Southeast Asia, the gallery presents a carefully curated selection of exceptional objects, some of which date back as far as 6,000 years.

Condition: Good condition with expected wear, signs of weathering and erosion, obvious losses, small chips, some of which have smoothed over the centuries, few old fills. The stone with a fine, naturally grown, smooth patina.

Weight: 122.3 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 69.8 cm (excl. stand), 87.8 cm (incl. stand)

With an associated modern stand. (2)

This exquisite sculpture of a lion once adorned the precinct of a temple complex. During the golden age of the Angkor period, Khmer kings erected vast cities and monumental sanctuaries that embodied their divine authority and royal power. Guardian lions such as the present example were positioned along terraces and stairways, protecting the central pyramidal sanctuary that symbolized Mount Meru, the sacred mountain regarded in Hindu cosmology as the abode of the gods and the axis of the universe.

Guardian lions flanked the main approaches to the sanctuary of most Khmer temples and were also placed along the stairways and on terraces. The lion, representing royalty, strength, and courage, was the personal symbol of the Khmer kings, who were believed to be gods as well. Therefore, the lion as guardian of the sacred precinct suggested the ability to ward off evil through both divine and royal protection.

The lion was not native to Cambodia, and Khmer artists were therefore required to rely on transmitted imagery, smaller sculptural prototypes, or their own artistic imagination when depicting this powerful creature. As a symbol of sovereignty and strength, the lion held a prominent place in royal iconography. This tradition ultimately derived from ancient India, where lion-supported pillars were already known before the Common Era. Within Khmer art, stone lions appear in a variety of dynamic forms, seated, standing, striding, and even rearing, serving both as guardians and as enduring emblems of royal and sacred power.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related sandstone figure of a guardian lion, Khmer Empire, Thailand, Angkor period, 11th-early 12th century, 109 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1979.406. Compare a closely related sandstone figure of a guardian lion, Khmer Empire, Cambodia, Angkor period, 1150-1250, 88.9 cm high, in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, object number B76S1.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams New York, 18 March 2013, lot 132
Mid-estimate: USD 50,000 or approx.

EUR 62,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A sandstone figure of a guardian lion, Cambodia, Khmer, Bayon style, late 12th-early 13th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject, modeling, and manner of carving. Note the similar size (74.9 cm).

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