Massive Bronze Angkor Vishnu at National Museum of Asian Art

This 11th century bronze statue of Vishnu was cast at Angkor and installed in a manmade island-temple in the vast reservoir West Baray, which is part of the Angkor urban complex. It was broken apart and ritually buried in the 13th century and rediscovered in 1936. The main section, of Vishnu reclining on two of his four arms, has been at the National Museum of Cambodia since 1950. It traveled to the National Gallery of Art in Washington in 1997. In 2024 it traveled to Nantes, where it was conserved, and the remaining fragments of the sculpture reassembled. It is now almost 7 meters long, and is on view at the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art. I would say go see it, but at the moment the Smithsonian and the National Mall are an occupied, barricaded hellscape in preparation for a stupid fascist bread and circuses car race owned by Jay Penske’s dad. So maybe hold off for a minute. It’s on view until September 7th. In the mean time you can get the vibes by watching PraCh Ly’s…