via Le Monde, 21 April 2024: A significant bronze statue of Vishnu is scheduled to be examined and restored in Paris before its display at the Guimet Museum of Asian Arts in April 2025. The statue, originally part of a larger sculpture found in 1936 at Angkor’s West Mebon temple, portrays the Hindu god smiling, despite missing two arms. This artifact, a royal commission from the 11th century, is renowned for its historical and cultural significance. It will undergo thorough analysis by specialists at the Center for Research and Restoration in French Museums, highlighting its pivotal role in the upcoming exhibition on Khmer bronzes.
The smiling statue of the god Vishnu will undergo a thorough analysis, as well as a slight facelift, by researchers between its May departure from Cambodia and the opening of Paris’ Guimet Museum of Asian Arts’ exhibition on Khmer bronzes on April 30, 2025.
Source: Cambodia’s ‘Mona Lisa,’ a large bronze statue of Vishnu, is due to be examined in Paris
