AN EXTREMELY RARE AND EXCEPTIONAL KHMER SANDSTONE FRIEZE WITH FOUR GANESHAS, BAKONG STYLE, ANGKOR
AN EXTREMELY RARE AND EXCEPTIONAL KHMER SANDSTONE FRIEZE WITH FOUR GANESHAS, BAKONG STYLE, ANGKOR PERIOD, LATE 9TH CENTURY
The frieze is carved in high relief with three standing figures of Ganesha, each holding his broken tusk in the right hand and a bowl of sweets in the left, the curling trunk reaching toward the sweets. Each deity is depicted with a naked upper body and clad in a sampot secured by a corded belt, with a short central flange falling between the legs. The elephant heads are rendered naturalistically with broad foreheads, small eyes, large fan-shaped ears, and long curving trunks.
The reverse is carved in relief with a further pot-bellied figure of Ganesha seated cross-legged upon a projecting ledge, his arms bent at the sides.
Provenance: The private collection of Joseph Verfaillie and Madeleine Denys, Belgium, and thence by direct descent to their son Marc Verfaillie. Joseph Verfaillie and Madeleine Denys were art collectors with a particular interest in the art of Southeast Asia, especially Khmer sculpture. During the 1960s and 1970s, they assembled a diverse collection of Asian works of art, acquiring many pieces from a respected Belgian art dealer who later established a gallery in Brussels.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, obvious losses, old repairs, chips, nicks, structural fissures, signs of weathering and erosion, and encrustations.
Weight: 349 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 72 cm (excl. stand), 150 cm (incl. stand)
With an associated fitted stand. (2)
Bakong, the great stepped-pyramid temple and mausoleum built by Indravarman I (r. 877-889), gives its name to the style of sculpture from this period. It is noted for being iconic and heavily proportioned, with a strong sense of authority conveying the ideas of universal kingship just beginning to become prevalent in Southeast Asia.
Bakong sculpture is the first to be carved completely in the round, dispensing with the supporting arch previously used to reinforce the structure—an innovative development during this period and a significant departure from the Indian model. There are few examples of almost complete Bakong sculptures, and this two-sided frieze with four such figures is extremely rare.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's Amsterdam, 10 December 2002, lot 160
Price: EUR 41,825 or approx. EUR 67,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare Khmer, Bakong style, sandstone frieze with three Ganeshas, late 9th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of carving, and subject. Note the much smaller size (43 x 50 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 21 March 2007, lot 269
Price: USD 96,000 or approx. EUR 136,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare sandstone figure of Ganesha, Khmer, Pre-Angkor period, circa 8th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling of the deity and similar stylized sampot secured with a corded belt. Note the smaller size (34.3 cm) and that this figure depicts only a single Ganesha, unlike the present lot.
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
AN EXTREMELY RARE AND EXCEPTIONAL KHMER SANDSTONE FRIEZE WITH FOUR GANESHAS, BAKONG STYLE, ANGKOR PERIOD, LATE 9TH CENTURY
The frieze is carved in high relief with three standing figures of Ganesha, each holding his broken tusk in the right hand and a bowl of sweets in the left, the curling trunk reaching toward the sweets. Each deity is depicted with a naked upper body and clad in a sampot secured by a corded belt, with a short central flange falling between the legs. The elephant heads are rendered naturalistically with broad foreheads, small eyes, large fan-shaped ears, and long curving trunks.
The reverse is carved in relief with a further pot-bellied figure of Ganesha seated cross-legged upon a projecting ledge, his arms bent at the sides.
Provenance: The private collection of Joseph Verfaillie and Madeleine Denys, Belgium, and thence by direct descent to their son Marc Verfaillie. Joseph Verfaillie and Madeleine Denys were art collectors with a particular interest in the art of Southeast Asia, especially Khmer sculpture. During the 1960s and 1970s, they assembled a diverse collection of Asian works of art, acquiring many pieces from a respected Belgian art dealer who later established a gallery in Brussels.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, obvious losses, old repairs, chips, nicks, structural fissures, signs of weathering and erosion, and encrustations.
Weight: 349 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 72 cm (excl. stand), 150 cm (incl. stand)
With an associated fitted stand. (2)
Bakong, the great stepped-pyramid temple and mausoleum built by Indravarman I (r. 877-889), gives its name to the style of sculpture from this period. It is noted for being iconic and heavily proportioned, with a strong sense of authority conveying the ideas of universal kingship just beginning to become prevalent in Southeast Asia.
Bakong sculpture is the first to be carved completely in the round, dispensing with the supporting arch previously used to reinforce the structure—an innovative development during this period and a significant departure from the Indian model. There are few examples of almost complete Bakong sculptures, and this two-sided frieze with four such figures is extremely rare.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's Amsterdam, 10 December 2002, lot 160
Price: EUR 41,825 or approx. EUR 67,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare Khmer, Bakong style, sandstone frieze with three Ganeshas, late 9th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of carving, and subject. Note the much smaller size (43 x 50 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 21 March 2007, lot 269
Price: USD 96,000 or approx. EUR 136,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare sandstone figure of Ganesha, Khmer, Pre-Angkor period, circa 8th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling of the deity and similar stylized sampot secured with a corded belt. Note the smaller size (34.3 cm) and that this figure depicts only a single Ganesha, unlike the present lot.
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
