• 
• 

Published on February 3, 2008

Khmer Gold: Gifts for the Gods
Emma C Bunker and Douglas AJ Latchford
Published by Art Media Resources, 2008
Available at Asia Books, Kinokuniya Books and B2S, Bt2,795
Reviewed by Michael Smithies
Special to The Nation

Jewellery is the rarest of artefacts, eminently recyclable, transportable and tradable. And gold has universal attraction and value. It is therefore hardly surprising that examples of goldsmiths’ work of past ages are few and far between. They’re usually discovered by accident by farmers who are, understandably, all too likely to dispose of them for ready cash rather than hand them over to the appropriate authorities.
That gold was prized in ancient Khmer society is not in doubt. Inscriptions make reference to bequests of gold to temples, and traces of gold sometimes survive on statuary and architecture.
Zu Daguan (Chou Takuan), that invaluable source of information about Khmer history, leaves no doubt that gold was appreciated. He tells us that umbrella handles and parasols of senior dignitaries were made of or flecked with gold, royal elephants had tusks sheathed in gold, court palanquins were made of gold and there were golden windows in the palace.
The most important temples had golden towers and enclosed gold Buddha statues. The currency was gold for big transactions, and Chinese gold was imported to make up for apparent local deficiency.
Assembled in this handsome book is a surprising quantity of gold Khmer artefacts, many of exquisite design, mostly pectoral chains and other personal decorative items, like belts, rings, headdresses and diadems, crowns, earrings, armbands, chignon covers and bracelets.
The authors make the point that statues were decorated with gold ornaments, so many of these items would not be for personal but religious embellishment.
There are also lidded jars and covered pots and boxes, similar to those known in stoneware. All are beautifully photographed and clearly a collector’s delight – indeed, one of the coauthors adds no less than 34 illustrations of pieces and their details from his collection.
Those of several other private collections are also illustrated, as well as items from public collections like the Phimai Museum and the Musée Guimet.
The dating of these objects is clearly problematic, and usually done on the basis of stylistic similarities with bronze, or more often stone, statuary in temples.
This methodology is inevitably errorprone, depending on the uncontested dating and provenance of the object, and for the most part one feels that inspired guesses have to prevail. Only one object here has a firm date, a dagger inscribed with the equivalent of CE 940.
Because gold is so transportable, deciding on the location of the origin of pieces is often impossible. Finding something in a particular village doesn’t mean that it was used there.
Then there is also the problem of quick disposal, such as happened in Phnom Snay, an episode mentioned here, before objects can be photographed and recorded.
The text is helpful on the dating of clasps, but we don’t need to be told twice about the number of devatas on the towers. And there is no consideration of the apparent contradiction between renunciation and meditation on the one hand, and jewelled Buddha images on the other.
More than once the authors refer to the founding of the empire in 802. Jayavarman II on his arrival (or return) from Java at that date established his reign, but the empire came with time. There are references to Lonvek in both the text and the index, but this seems to be in error for Louvek.
One needs a map showing the Thai geographical sources, and there are minor inaccuracies and slipups, such as UThong being placed in northern Thailand.
The authors point out that “the study of Khmer gold is still in its infancy”, but it must be said that with this, their second book on the subject, they have greatly contributed to its unravelling.
They cite the recent discovery of 30 small Buddha figures made of gold, silver and brass in old temple north of Phnom Penh, and how the villagers wished to keep them there, while cultural officials opted for a more secure location.
Thus, “Golden artefacts continue to be considered for the gods, but when we look at the golden Khmer remains we might also consider them as gifts from the gods.”  
The illustrations are splendid, with the value of the pieces shown certainly enhanced by the photographs. For many, this book will be a revelation.