A BRONZE FIGURE OF VISHNU STANDING ON GARUDA, ANGKOR PERIOD
Khmer Empire, 11th-12th century. The four-armed deity standing on Garuda's shoulders and holding a disk and conch in his uppermost hands, and a club and seed in his lower hands, wearing a sampot and richly adorned in jewelry. The mythical bird standing on a square base with arms and wings outstretched as if flying through the air. Both with benign expressions.


Provenance
: From the private collection of Darwin Freeman, collected between the 1968-1971, and thence by descent within the same family. Born 1946 in Idaho, USA, Darwin Freeman was a member of the armed forces and later became an avid collector. He met his wife in the mid-1960s, and the pair later relocated to her hometown of Innsbruck, Austria. In 1967, Freeman was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in Germany and Thailand. While he was stationed at the Embassy in Bangkok, between 1969 and 1971, he actively began engaging in the exploration and collection of ancient bronzes and other works of art. Upon completing his duty, Freeman arranged for his collection to be shipped to Austria, where it remained in storage until this day.

Condition
: Very good condition commensurate with age, showing old wear, weathering and corrosion, minuscule nicks here and there, minor losses, and a fine natural patina with malachite-green encrustations.

Weight: 896.2 g
Dimensions: Height 25.5 cm


This bronze
may have served as an official insignia when the cult of Vishnu was raised to higher prominence under Suryavarman II, upon ascending to the throne in 1113.


In Hinduism, Vishnu is the preserver and maintainer of the established order.
Whereas Shiva is Lord of the Beginning and of the End, Vishnu is the deity who oversees the middle ground, avoids extremes, and maintains orthodoxy. The standard depiction of Vishnu is four-armed, standing upright and wearing a crown. He carries a conch shell, a lotus, a club, and a discus. His vehicle is the bird Garuda depicted here in the usual form as part human, part bird.


Literature comparison:
Compare a Khmer bronze figure of Vishnu standing on Garuda, dated to the Khmer period, late 11-early 12th century, in the Brooklyn Museum, accession number 85.220.4. Also compare a Khmer bronze figure of Vishnu standing on Garuda, dated to 12-13th century, in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, accession number 99.216.7.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 23 March 1999, lot 225
Price: USD 6,900 or approx.
EUR 11,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A bronze figure of Vishnu on his vehicle Garuda, Khmer, Baphuon style, 11th century
Expert remark: Note the much smaller size (16.2 cm).