Gods of Angkor

Gods of Angkor: Bronzes from the National Museum of Cambodia

A remarkable group of seven bronze figures was unearthed in Kampong Cham province, Cambodia, in 2006. These sixth- and seventh-century Buddhist sculptures, two of which were Chinese, ultimately were acquired by the National Museum of Cambodia.

There they became one of the first projects of the institution's Metal Conservation Laboratory, created with the assistance of the Department of Conservation and Scientific Research at the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

Gods of Angkor celebrates not only the collaborative efforts of the Cambodian and U.S. museums to restore and interpret these important images, but also the accomplishments of Khmer bronze casters from the fourth century BCE to the fourteenth century CE.

The authors decipher the makeup and meaning of bronze figural images, ritual vessels, and other objects, placing them in the context of Southeast Asian life and worship from prehistoric times through the pre-Angkorian and Angkorian eras.

Together, the bronzes reveal vivid details of the significance of this important medium within Khmer culture and of the artistic and religious interactions of the Khmer with their neighbors.

About the Author

Paul Jett is an American art historian, conservator, and editor specializing in Asian art, known for works such as Gods of Angkor and Scientific Research on the Pictorial Arts of Asia.

Paul Jett’s artistic and academic background blends photography, East Asian art, and conservation. He studied photography, Chinese brush painting, and the philosophy, history, and language of East Asia at the University of New Mexico, then completed graduate studies at Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada, and a postgraduate fellowship at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

He served as a conservator for the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Asian Art, which led to extensive travel in Asia and deepened his expertise in Asian art. After leaving the Smithsonian, he devoted himself fully to photography and academic publishing.

Jett is recognized for his editorial and scholarly contributions to Asian art research. His publications often focus on metallurgy, ceramics, wood carving, and pictorial arts in Asia

• Paperback
• 160 pages
• 7.66 x 0.63 x 11.94 inches
• 1.6 pounds