This photo taken on May 7, 2024 shows the famous large bronze reclining Vishnu statue in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Cambodia held a blessing ceremony on Tuesday to mark the departure of the famous large bronze reclining Vishnu statue and 39 pieces of it to France. (Photo: Phearum/Xinhua)
PHNOM PENH, May 7 (Xinhua) — Cambodia held a blessing ceremony on Tuesday to mark the departure of a large bronze statue of the famous reclining god Vishnu and 39 of its fragments to France.
The ceremony took place at the National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh and was attended by Cambodia’s Minister of Culture and Fine Arts, Poon Sakona.
According to a press release after the ceremony, the 11th-century sculpture was discovered in 1936 by French curator Maurice Gleize at the West Mebon temple in the famous Angkor Archaeological Park in Siem Reap province in northwest Cambodia, and is the largest bronze statue ever found at Angkor.
The statue was originally more than five metres long and 4.5 metres tall, the news release said, adding that it is one of the treasures of the National Museum of Cambodia.
According to a news release, the reclining Vishnu statue is a unique masterpiece of Cambodian art, fascinated researchers and curators from around the world for its symbolism and unique shape, unprecedented for a Cambodian bronze statue of this size.
Sakona said the departure of the reclining Vishnu statue to France is part of an active cooperation project between Cambodia and France.
“The project aims to restore, conserve and study the reclining Vishnu idol,” she said.
During its stay in France, the statue will first undergo an in-depth scientific study at the Centre for Research and Restoration of French Museums (C2RMF) in Paris, before undergoing an extensive restoration programme at the Arc’Antique Institute in Nantes.
The minister said the reclining Vishnu statue will then return to the Guimet Museum in Paris where it will become the centrepiece of a special exhibition dedicated to Cambodian bronze art, running from April 30 to September 8, 2025.
She added that next year’s special exhibition will also feature an additional 126 bronze works on loan from the National Museum of Cambodia. ■