Thanks to an anonymous tipster, I read this article in the Independent about a strange happening at the Musée Guimet in Paris involving a statue of one of Shiva’s wives (whose name is unspecified). The headless statue, which had been recovered from the Bakong temple in Cambodia in 1935, was reunited with its head after nearly six hundred years.
The temple was built in 881, during the Khmer dynasty, and is one of many ancient Hindu temples scattered around Southeast Asia (today, the vast majority of Cambodians are Buddhists). The statue was decapitated in 1431, though exactly why or who did it I do not know. The body of the statue came to Paris in 1935, and the head remained in the museum affixed to the nearby Angkor Wat, Cambodia’s most famous tourist attraction.
The reunification of head and body happened completely by accident. John Gunther Dean, an ambassador to Cambodia in the 1970s, known for protecting Cambodian art from the Khmer Rouge, decided to give the museum a present from his personal collection:
To thank the museum, Mr Dean, now 80, offered a gift from his own collection of ancient Khmer artefacts. Last month, the gift arrived, the sculpted head of a woman found at the Bakong temple site in 1939.
“I asked him for a Khmer head because we only had headless statues but I didn’t think for a moment about a possible match,” said Pierre Baptiste, the museum’s curator for south-east Asian art.
“I brought the head into our [Cambodian] hall looking for a place that it could be exhibited,” said M. Baptiste. “I had a sudden notion the two pieces resembled each other but then thought, ‘no, things never happen that way’.
“I put the head on the statue’s shoulders. It shifted a few millimetres. I heard the little click that you get when two stones fit together and the head fell perfectly into place. It was as if it had put itself together. I still get goose-bumps thinking about it.” (link)
It’s a great story, but it gives me goosebumps for a slightly different reason from the one curator Pierre Baptist experienced, as it reminds me that so many priceless ancient artifacts from from Asia are in westen museums. Indeed, the most likely place where the head of this statue could re-find its body is in one of the big ‘Oriental’ museums in Paris, London, or New York — not Cambodia itself.
My own local Philadelphia Museum of Art has an entire Hindu temple (ca. 1550) from Tamil Nadu installed in a permanent exhibition (see here). It’s a beautiful exhibit with amazing stone sculptures, and I’m not at all sure it would be preserved as nicely in India itself — but it’s still a little sad to visit it in this context, right next to the similarly-dislocated authentic 19th century Japanese tea-house.
Despite the absence of some major components, these temples are of course still major tourist attractions in Cambodia. Angkor Wat is world-famous, as is, more recently, Ta Prohm (where portions of Tomb Raider were filmed a few years ago). But imagine what they would be like if all the statues and friezes that are currently sitting in western museums were returned to their source!
Of course, this is hopelessly idealistic. The majority of the artifacts in the big European and American museums were acquired legally at the time they entered these museums’ collections. And it’s hardly likely those museums would agree to give back artifacts worth countless millions merely out of the goodness of their hearts.
Since restoration of the stolen relocated artifacts is impossible, I might propose a conceptual art project to draw attention to the incongruity. Careful replicas of statues like the recently fixed Bakong wife of Shiva should be made, and installed at the sites where they were found. Then a sign should be placed out front that reads as follows: “Welcome to Bakong. You are now entering a replica of the Hindu temple at Bakong. Everything of value from this site has been relocated to Paris, London, and New York. Enjoy your visit!”
Great story, amardeep. But would these ancient arifacts really be better off in India? I’m not trying to be sarcastic, I’m actually just curious. When you say in India, do you mean in museums in India or in their original spots? Again, great story. Sonia
Amardeep, some very interesting points you’ve raised. reminds me of the spat between Greece and Britain over the Elgin Marbles. on the one hand, these treasures should be returned to their places of origin, especially if those places can assure their proper preservation and security. i think italy recently returned an important obelisk to Ethiopia. Yale is having a similar spat with Peru over artifacts removed from Machu Picchu during hiram bingham’s expeditions there.
Angkor Wat – truly one of the most stupendous, breathtaking sights and accomplishments in the world, both for its vastness and its complexity — is now undergoing restoration and it would be nice to have the reunified statue returned as part of that. it is rightfully Cambodia’s heritage. on the other hand, Cambodia, India and countries around the world still face a lot of theft of deities and statues from temples and other holy sites, so returning it might endanger it and this time it might be lost forever. it would probably just end up back in the west somewhere. Angkor Wat once had a legendary giant Vishnu statue that has been lost completely. no one knows what happened to it. i wonder if its lying in someone’s secret collection somewhere in the world – or in pieces around the world.
also, having these in western museums (and i’m not too sure that a lot of these did enter their collections wholly “legally”) also serves to educate and inform people who would otherwise never get to travel to these places and see for themselves the incredible heritage they had/have. sadly, it’s such a one-way street right now. perhaps in the future, the museums of the non-western world will have some of the great treasures of the west to showcase as well to their populations.
I followed the link the anonymous tipster left in the ‘News’ section too, and was disappointed to find that there was no pic. Thanks for finding one.
It is definitely a concern that so many Asian artifacts are kept in museums elsewhere, but this is not without a certain benefit: maintenance. For instance, a couple of years back in Chennai I was shocked and disappointed to see the state of what remains of the Amaravati stupa, kept in the Government Museum, Madras. There was graffiti on some of the relics, while others lay outdoors in what appeared to be by and large casual negligence.
While, ideally, I would like to think that historical relics should remain where they were found or in the region in which they belong, if they are going to be removed at all, I’d rather they be kept where they are valued and taken care of. Even if that happens to be on another continent.
..and statues from temples and other holy sites (and non-holy archeologically important sites).
Sonia, In an ideal world, I would be most interested in seeing these artifacts returned to their original sites, and have those sites be ‘museumized’. These are statues that were designed in a certain context with a certain function.
Local governments in India or Cambodia may not have the money to keep them in conditions that would preserve them properly, but what about China, Japan, or Egypt? Those countries all have museums that could partner with western museums to take good care of restored artifacts…
brilliant post title, ‘deep!
Is than an Umberto Eco allusion?
DesiDude, Not that I know of. It’s just a title that seemed to fit the story!
Still, I’m now earnestly going to try and find a way to write a post which will be titled “Amardeep’s Pendulum” if I can.
I would like to take issue with a couple of the attitudes expressed here about the ability of a country to maintain its own treasures. It is not up to the art world, or foreign archeologists to determine who and how a country’s national treasures should be preserved. If most of the ancient and wondrous buildings in India are now damaged, if their treasures are now lost, it is because of the European raiders that pillaged the country and stole most of what was worth preserving. The country of Egypt has successfully sued the British Royal Museum for return of many of the most important artifacts; there is no reason India should not demand similar recompensense for things such as the Star of India, and other treasures currently located in the British crown jewels. Indians currently lead the third world in technological advancement, I hardly think that it is beyond our capabilities with help of some private philanthropists to establish a world-class museum in a major city.
Also on the subject of Angkor Wat, I have had the privilage to visit, and while it is indeed a beautiful site and something worth beholding at least once in your life, it is impossible to ignore the extreme poverty of the country, which dwarfs even that in India. Most of the thefts are due to wealthy European and American collectors bribing poor locals to help them steal ancient sculptures. Our guide even bribed a guard to take us into a holding place for countless priceless statues and fragments, because there are far more than they have capacity to display presently. Since we know where all this stuff ends up eventually, how can we blame the Cambodians? If it wasn’t for Angkor Wat, they would have no economy at all. India has ten times the amount to offer tourists; if we manage to restore, recover and display our treasures, it would benefit our own national image, and might help attract positive attention to our past instead of the constant negativity.
It is very dangerous for any group or culture (especially one lead by former colonial oppressors) to dictate to another how their own national culture should be preserved. It is ultimately Cambodia/India’s history, and they must do as they see fit. Just because someone else has more money or expresses more public interest doesn’t make them more appropriate to control such resources. It’s worth pointing out that it was Indian archeologists who first restored Angkor Wat more than thirty years ago. While some Westerners who have followed have criticized their technique, it remains that they were there first, and recognized the value far before the West did.
Amardeep, In the Name of the Rose young Adso of Melk in Name of the Rose titles his Chapters in a similar fashion, if I recall correctly.
I am sorry but Amardeep’s Pendulum sounds somewhat…er..Freudian.
Driver,
i agree that there is an almost paternalistic, condescending attitude displayed when countries like Greece, Peru and others ask for their heritage to be returned. but with poverty, as you mentioned, and corruption driving the looting and illegal sale of antiquities, incredible vigilance is needed in places like Cambodia and India. but you’re right, it’s not that they are not capable of it, especially India. however, for some countries, having these items in museums other than their home countries for the time being is like having endangered species in zoos far away from their origins – it’s an unfortunate way of life but ultimately one that may save them until their futures are more secure. unfortunately india is doing a pretty dire job so far of protecting its endangered species, even though it has the capacity to do a lot better. again, a blackmarket, poverty and money and lack of political will and political ineptitude drive this. soon, the only place one may find a bengal tiger may be in zoos in and outside of india (the sunderbans offer the best chance for their survival in the wild).
as for the Europeans – while they may be responsible for carting off a lot of historical treasures, they weren’t really responsible (except for the portuguese in goa) for wholesale damage or destruction of buildings etc. they took that stuff from sites that had been destroyed by invaders before them or abandoned for some reason or the other. not really “legal” but they were the colonizers. and although they sometimes did it for purely selfish and dubious orientalist reasons and from a viewpoint of superiority (some not all), they sometimes took stuff to study it (the results of their studies are still contentious to some of course)and some were genuinely motivated to help preserve them.
India should be doing so much more to help preserve not only its own heritage, but that of Cambodia and other southeast Asian countries with whom it has civilizational links. i’m not sure how much political will there is in india to ask for stuff back. speaking of the british crown jewels, a friend’s brother was touring the tower of london and decided to have some fun. he loudly complained that a lot of that stuff should be returned to india. this didn’t go down too well with other tourists and the tower guards!
Whose God,
All very valid points. I think what Driver is saying (and I agree with his objections) is that, even if it’s not strictly speaking advisable to simply return all the artifacts, it’s important symbolically to acknowledge their real cultural provenance. They are all parts of the puzzle of ancient Asian culture, which European and American museums are exploiting, even if they are also doing good work in preserving & educating people here about the ancient history of other parts of the world.
All I’m asking for is a symbolic rather than an actual redress to this problem. One way is the weird conceptual art project I was proposing in my post: you actually indicate at the original site what is missing, and where it went. (And perhaps at the museum, you indicate where the piece actually belongs.)
Another way is what your friend’s brother did with the crown jewels:
a friend’s brother was touring the tower of london and decided to have some fun. he loudly complained that a lot of that stuff should be returned to india. this didn’t go down too well with other tourists and the tower guards!
It didn’t go down well with the other tourists — probably because your friend’s brother’s comments hit a little too close to home. But what he was doing was simply reminding them of the history of colonialism, which most museums would prefer to erase.
That’s exactly what I’m talking about. To me, that is a gesture of extreme patriotism. Look, I know about the political corruption in India. That is the excuse every single person in the world uses for why Indians shouldn’t help/stand up for ourselves/try to gain international respect. In case you aren’t aware, all countries have corrupt politicians. Political corruption doesn’t prevent us from building IT parks in Hydrabad and preserving the Taj Mahal. No the real question in priority, not capability.
If more Indian people showed pride in restoring our artwork, if we weren’t so ready run off to the Louvre to see a Hindu sculpture instead of demanding it be returned, if we spent more time asserting ourselves instead of kissing the Western nation’s asses, then maybe our government would take notice. We all know how much Indians love political grandstaning and empty gestures above boring, effective policy development. What could generate more goodwill for the Congree or BJP than for the masses to see a humbled British goverment returning what is rightfully ours and acknowledging the wrongful theft? The problem is, that educated Indians like ourselves are not willing to raise a stink, like post-WWII Jews were willing to. The educated members of our nation are always rushing to ally ourselves with our Western peers, rather than the common Indian people. Without leaders to highlight these causes, you can hardly expect a starving Bihari to demand the return of some artwork. That doesn’t mean it should be done. It is up to people like us to recognize India’s right (or Cambodia’s) to make its own mistakes, just as every other nation has been allowed to do. The Last Supper gradually decayed for centuries; the David was allowed to sit outside in the rain and pigeon shit for 300 hundred years. No one tried to take them out of Italy to “preserve them” and now they are symbols of the country. How sad would it be if our symbols were still sitting in Paris and London and Phildelphia 300 years from now?
If most of the ancient and wondrous buildings in India are now damaged, if their treasures are now lost, it is because of the European raiders that pillaged the country and stole most of what was worth preserving.
That is not entirely true. Ajanta and Ellora was rediscovered by a white man, as was Harappa and Mohenjo Daro. Much of the treasures in ancient China were pillaged and destroyed without any conception of their value or antiquity. We have to thank European scholars who tirelessly reconstructed there provenance. This extends to texts and manuscripts.
Europeans scholars serve only to reverse the work of centuries of European foreign policy. If you ask me, they should be thanking us for allowing them back in our countries at all. I love how everyone here acts like colonialism is ancient history, when we are only sixty years removed. The same scholars who write those articles and work in those museums grew up in a world where being black, brown, yellow or red made you inferior, and not in the touchy feely liberal academic climate of today. Small wonder that they tell us how much they respect our “culture and history” out of one side of their mouths, but ignore our right as a nation to preserve our own cultural landmarks. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again. Stop trying to convince me that white people appreciate us more than ourselves. It just isn’t true, and in ten years when Africa is the international art scene’s darling, no one will give a shit about Indian art anymore.
well 1431 is a year sort of well known to students of khmer history. It when the thais unseated the angkor kingdom. A lot of things are attributed to it…It is possible but at the same time i wouldnt say its beyond a lazy scholar to lump everything on that 1 event.
I’m not trying to convince you of jack, jack. Do some research on Chinese and Indian antiquities; I promise you you will find many Europeans who played very important roles in saving and reconstructing Asian heritage. Its not black and white, or brown and white.
If you ask me, they should be thanking us for allowing them back in our countries at all. I love how everyone here acts like colonialism is ancient history, when we are only sixty years removed.
This statement demonstrates how much of a colonial hangover many of us still seem to have.
Yes, some good some bad. there have been many who played an important role in looting it too. check out what was done w/ the maratha bounties. But when comparing brits to islamic colonialism , brits were better.
Eddie,
If you are in fact brown, I apologize. I will just say that I’m not going to spend my time trying to reconcile to directly opposite views. I have done my research; I have a degree in Asian studies from a prominent University. What are your qualifications? You seem to be white and opposed to my view that white people are not best suited as the protectors of Asian culture. To some of us, it is a racial issue, just as every interaction between the West and India is a racial issue. We didn’t make it that way; you did when you voided our centuries of free trade by invading. Am I paranoid? Some would say yes; but the U.S. government is currently engaged in a large-scale cultural war against the Islamic states of the world; there was a domestic uproar over the proposed involvement of a business owned by an American ally in our nation’s ports, just because the company in question happened to be owned by an Arab. Is that racism? Europeans bristle at allegations of racism, but nearly all transactions of this sort are defined by historical cultural interactions. What you consider a colonial hangover is just good common sense to me.
If you are in fact brown, I apologize. I will just say that I’m not going to spend my time trying to reconcile to directly
I’m a brown man yo! What, you never heard of a brown homey named EDDIE before?
What are your qualifications? You seem to be white and opposed to my view that white people are not best suited as the protectors of Asian culture.
I have no professional qualifications, I have an above-average interest in the art of the ancient world. I never said white people are “best suited,” just that some European scholars have made very substantial contributions -often selflessly and for no money – in the restoration and rediscovery of ancient art. I would never deny that colonialism was on the whole a very negative experience for the colonized.
Peace
mmMMMmm…boobies. ..
now why did you have to go and ruin a perfectly good conversation by implying that anyone without a degree has no valid opinions?
I didn’t mean to implicate that a degree is necessary. But since he seemed to suggest I was ignorant on the subject that happens to be my specialty, I thought it worth mentioning. I don’t think that makes me more expert than anyone else; it just shows that I am familiar with the contributions of European academics to the field. In fact, it’s worth noting that nearly every professor and published scholar who studies Indian art is in fact white. This is because we don’t study our own culture in a Western academic setting, and because scholarly work from India is not recognized on the same level yet.
Interesting conversation.
When it comes to finding money for preserving heritage, and promoting arts, I like how UK goes about it. Most of the profits from the National Lottery go to the maintenance of heritage sites, grants to museums, and performing artists and so on.
Just imagine: The Indian government can easily create a system whereby citizens play a game of lottery once or twice a year, and generate funds to take up the repair and maintenance of all our heritage sites.
I dont know…Lotterys are NFG as per me. Its redistribution, from dumb to smart(so in that sense it is good). But I dont like the idea of government encouraging gambling.
Driver, Please keep your anti-white sentiments off of the discussion boards. You make some valid points but have a tendency to slip into a rant. I have deleted several of your comments as a warning to give you the benefit of the doubt. This is the last one.
hmm w/ a name like sepia mutiny what would encourage ?
“All I’m asking for is a symbolic rather than an actual redress to this problem. One way is the weird conceptual art project I was proposing in my post: you actually indicate at the original site what is missing, and where it went. (And perhaps at the museum, you indicate where the piece actually belongs.)”
Amardeep, that’s an interesting idea and similar to the use of 3D imaging and laser lights to recreate structures and statues. i think there were plans to do something like that for the space where the Bamiyan Buddhas once stood. but maybe an actual solid recreation or replica as you suggest would work better until the time comes when some of the major pieces are returned.
Is it a matter of priority or capability? A bit of both I would think. This is a question that is indeed a wrenching one. Place of origin or a place of preservation and wider exposure? A bit like asking, “Are endangered species better off in their threatened and disappearing habitat or in a well kept zoo?” Should destitute and incapable parents give up their children for adoption or let them languish in a desperate family milieu? Difficult to answer.
There is another factor to consider here other than priority and capability of Asian and African countries to preserve their heritage. The political tensions that can often overrun the national psyche in some of the places can put historical treasures at risk. Changing ideologies can make monuments and artifacts belonging to an opposing camp vulnerable to vindictive abuse. Think Babri Masjid. Think the Bamiyan Buddhas.
Amardeep:
Thanks for writing this piece. As I’ve travelled far and beyond the borders, I’ve noticed how (ex)colonial and imperial powers have the most precious and valuable artwork of the peoples that they have couquered. Museums have a lot of politics implicated in them, and so I’m glad that you’ve raised this issue.
Driver:
Yes, I agree on you with this one. There are been numerous incidents where ancient treasures were taken and transported under questionable, unsavory, and shady circumstances; one particular episode that comes to mind is Afghani Buddhist art that somehow made it to musuems in New York. Other occurances involve African valuables that have been smuggled into Western museums by wealthy Westerner collectors.
While I agree with the idea that a group or culture that “dictates another how their own national culture should be preserved”, I squirm a bit when I hear the phrase “national culture”. I would take issue with the concept such as “national culture”. “National culture” suggests that it is something that is “official”, and therefore subject and/or susceptible to being manufactured and elevated.
Ouch. While you raise points that I agree with, you really killed the discussion with this assertion. I did read your subsequent clarification re: this affirmation, but I’d just like to say that I have met those with degrees from “prominent” universities who don’t know shit. I have also met those without degrees, or degrees from unknown or not so prestigious universities, who have been extremely intellectually stimulating. As they say, “clothes does not make the monk”. Furthermore, “prominent” and its connotation is relative: a well known, “prominent” university doesn’t necessarily mean that it is engaging in thought-provoking and worthwhile work; “prominent” at times comes to mean that it has a lot of endowments and its market value is extremely high. This doesn’t mean that the quality of education is somehow more superior.
In my mind, I think there are multiple manifestations of colonialism and imperialism. Colonialism and imperialism doesn’t stop at just politics and economy; but it extends to all realms. Here, I am reminded of the most precious Arab manuscripts and artwork found in French Museums which had been stolen during French colonialism in the Arab; Afghani Buddhist treasures making their way to New York and other places; and rumors about where the Iraqi artifacts that had been looted following the US-led imperial war ended up. Priceless artefacts of (formerly) colonized peoples are war booty. More dangerously, there is the colonization of knowledge and history.
Clarification:
Priceless artefacts of (formerly) colonized peoples which reside in the colonialist/imperial powers’ museums, libraries,etc, are war booty. Moreover, there is something resentful about the fact that Western museums make profits, via admission tickets from museum goers and so on, off of the fruits of labor of the very people that they have oppressed and exploited.
Also, the institution of archeology is completely politicized. One case where this particularly stands out is in Israel: Israeli Jews eagerly and frantically dig away looking for proof that they are the “original” inhabitants so as to both discredit the presence of Palestinians as the indigenous population, as well as to validate that Jews are the originial dwellers of Palestine. More alarmingly, evidence that has been unearthed — which would reveal the presence of the Nabatean Arabs in ancient Palestine– is left to be forgotten, or worse, intentionally ignored, hidden, and buried. Another case is that of the mummies found in China.
In addition, the fact that scripts, manuscripts, old miniture paintings, and so on are now in (ex) colonial and imperial powers’ museums is unsettling. Here, the knowledge, history, genius, creativity and intellectualism of peoples are colonized. The gatekeepers of various peoples’ history and knowledge are their (ex)masters.
here’s another perspective – the Royal ontario museum’s Gallery of Canada presents the first peoples culture through the eyes of the collectors.-link-
Here’s a newspaper article with the rather sour title, “what’s a dead white guy doing in the middle of our gallery?”.
my opinion – I think it is positive that the exhibits do not come across as a study of a people under a microscope – there is human interaction involved.
Anyway, food for thought. Good night and have a great weekend
BTW – guys you are really verbose.
and amardeep grades each comment
Oh God, I wish I could frame this. If this were actually colonial times, you would be the sepoy and I’d be the local that your British officer told you to shoot. Or house negro/field negro if you please. I’m sure this post will be deleted though. Anyhow, I regret using education as a qualifier; I should have just said that I spent my time at college studying the systematic looting and redistribution of South Asian art and intellectual property by the West, and so I am very familiar with the tendency for Western intellectual circles to possess and analyze the products of an Eastern culture without giving due consideration to the rights or interpretations of the a culture (supposed “scholarly” treatments of the Ramayana and Mahabharata are excellent examples. I’m sorry I am viewed as so anti-white, I will do my better to fit in and please the massas.
So let me get this straight. You are calling the person who runs this site “a House Negro”, a site by the way that that you refered to as:
You then went on to say:
Yeah right. You have to reconsider your situation if you think we are going to allow your diatribes “toward some unknown entity” here. You appear to be the jailer of your own prison. When you realize that then drop us an email and this “House Negro” will see about letting you back in.
Er, um, well, Driver? is this for real?? Sounds pretty “anti-brown” to me:
Uhh, who died and made you the final arbiter of brownness?
And for the record, Gurinder Chadha’s husband is Japanese American.
About 10 years go, some friends and I visited an art museum in Chennai. The paintings and sculptures on display may have been created by prominent artists, I don’t know. I remember that the artwork on display was diverse in their styles and subjects, and overall beautiful. However, what I remember most clearly is that people had scratched on some of the sculptures, written on the protective glass and the surrounding walls, and in many cases defaced the paintings themselves.
Is the solution sending your art to western museums for safe preservation? There has to be a better way. In the meantime, beautiful things are slowly destroyed by careless, insensitive hands.