A VERY RARE BRONZE MIRROR, ANGKOR PERIOD, 12TH CENTURY

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A VERY RARE BRONZE MIRROR, ANGKOR PERIOD, 12TH CENTURY This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve The Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger, entry from 2005: “No. 198, FH 1985, Khmer Bayon 13th c. blue bronze mirror” Gallery price: EUR 950 or approx. EUR 1,600 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing. Khmer Empire. Skillfully cast, of circular form, slightly concave in profile and framed by a raised border, further articulated by concentric ridges along the edge. The bronze covered overall in a rich, naturally grown patina with vibrant malachite and azurite encrustations. Important Note: For essential information on the Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger and provenance documentation please visit here: www.zacke.at/rubencollection_ledger Dimensions: Diameter 21.5 cm (excl. stand), Height 42.5 cm (incl. stand) With an associated metal stand. (2) Bronze mirrors were significant objects in Khmer culture. They appear to have enjoyed particular popularity during the twelfth century and are depicted in the raised hands of apsaras (celestial maidens) carved in relief on the walls of Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm. The motif of an apsara holding a mirror is well attested in early Indian sculpture, where the mirror symbolized the beauty of its holder and may also have functioned as an offering to a deity. This iconographic theme, together with the mirror type itself, was likely introduced into the Khmer artistic repertoire through long-distance contact with Indian sculptural traditions, given the close correspondences that are unlikely to be coincidental. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related bronze mirror, Cambodia, Angkor period, Angkor Wat style, 12th century, 16 cm high, illustrated in Emma C. Bunker and Douglas Latchford, Adoration and Glory: The Golden Age of Khmer Art, 2004, p. 374-375, no. 136a.

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