Seated Buddha

Object Details

• Provenance

  As early as 1898

  Found and excavated by an unidentified French official near Biên Hòa, Đồng Nai Province, Vietnam [1]

  By 1919 to 1930s

  M. Bouasse-Lebel (1868-1955), purchased from the unidentified French official [2]

  1930s-1937

  Paul Mallon (1884-1975), from M. Bouasse-Lebel, method of acquisition unknown [3]

  From 1937

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Paul Mallon [4]

  Notes:

  [1] In a letter dated 15 April 1937, from the art dealer Paul Mallon (1884-1975) to the Freer Gallery of Art, Mallon notes that the French official was digging for moonstone when he discovered this bronze along with several other sculptures sometime during the year 1898. The letter also notes that the sculptures entered into Lebel's collection in 1919. Sherman Lee dates the discovery of the buried objects to 1919 instead. See Sherman Lee, "A Cambodian Bronze Hoard" in Art in America Vol. 31, no. 2 (1943), pp. 78-83. This sculpture was discovered along with six other Khmer bronze images that were excavated from a site in Vietnam. The group includes Buddhist and Hindu deities and ritual objects, all of which are small in scale. Little research has been done on the origins of the group--where the sculptures were made, how they were used, and why or how they traveled remains unknown.

  [2] See letter from Paul Mallon and Lee article referenced in note 1. M. Bouasse-Lebel may be the dealer and collector Albert Bouasse-Lebel and/or a member of the family operating the Bouasse-Lebel printing and engraving firm on Rue Saint-Sulpice in Paris.

  [3] See "Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List After 1920," notations in object file.

  [4] The Freer Gallery of Art purchased from Paul Mallon on June 2, 1937. See notation on the object receipt, April 14, 1937, copy in accession file.

  Research completed October 29, 2021.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Hindu and Buddhist Art (April 1, 1982 to July 18, 1983)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Albert Bouasse-Lebel (1868-1955)

  Paul Mallon (1884-1975)

• Origin

  Cambodia

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Sculpture

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1100s, 1200s

• Name

  buddha, Bouasse-Lebel, Albert, Paul Mallon

• Place

  Cambodia

• Topic

  Bronze, Art, Sculpture, Southeast Asian Art, Angkor period (802 - 1431), Metal-work

• Culture

  Buddhists, Southeast Asians

• Object Type

  Sculpture