Ancient Khmer Bronze pot - 10 cm

Shipment only to Europe!

Carinated vase with two small handles (ritual or prestige vessel)
Southeast Asia (Cambodia / Laos – influence area of the Khmer Empire)
Period: 10th – 13th century
Bronze with excavation patina
Height: 10 cm Maximum diameter: 17 cm

Vessel in lost-wax cast bronze, characterized by a carinated and highly structured biconical silhouette, typical of prestige metal tableware in medieval mainland Southeast Asia.

The object presents a stout, flattened lower body that tightens clearly at the junction with a broad cylindrical flared neck. The shoulder, angular and pronounced, is flanked by two small vertical loop handles firmly cast into the mass. The smooth surface of the neck contrasts with the slight casting irregularities of the body, evidence of an ancient artisanal manufacturing method.

The metal has developed a very beautiful archaeological patina with a body that bears a dark surface, almost black-brown in places, highlighted in the recesses, on the handles and inside the neck by powdery malachite green concretions and encrusted sedimentary residues.

This type of vase occupied an important place in the material culture of the Khmer Empire’s elites and neighboring principalities (territories now in Cambodia and the southern part of Laos, notably around the major site of Wat Phou). Primarily intended for ritual use, it served to contain sacred water, anointing oils, or offerings during religious ceremonies.

Condition:
Excellent conservation state for a bronze of this high era. The overall structure is perfectly sound, without major deformation or perforation of the metallic surface. The two-tone patina, alternating the original brown-black with the excavation green, offers a remarkable visual balance that emphasizes the piece’s antiquity and authenticity. Fine signs of mineralization including azurite.

Provenance: Kanaka The Collection

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