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	157. Diadem Cambodia, Angkor Borei, late first millennium BCE to third century CE Gold Diam. 17 cm Private collection

This extraordinary gold diadem is said to have been discovered in the Angkor Borei region of southern Cambodia. It is a perfect example of the type of exotic artifact associated with the extensive maritime trade that centered on the port of Oc-Eo on the southwestern seacoast of Vietnam in antiquity.

The diadem is made in the shape of a wreath decorated with calyx-leaf medallions, a typical flower design that originated in the fourth-century BCE Hellenistic world.1 Each flower was chisel-cut from gold sheet and attached to a gold circlet made of gold strips with a hooked clasp of classical type. The petals are each marked by a raised repouss้ line that bisects it longitudinally. Colored glass within a circle of repouss้ dots adorns the center of each flower.

The whole assemblage derives from Greek Hellenistic traditions but was probably created somewhere in the eastern Iranian world in the late first millennium BCE. This type of exotic adornment does not appear to have had any influence on later Khmer jewelry, except for the hook-and-eye clasp that is similar to later Khmer fastening devices (nos. 165, 166).

We are very grateful to Michael Ward and his staff for this information.


	166. Chain and Amulet Cambodia, late eleventh to early twelfth century Gold and rock crystal Gold chain: L. 80 cm Amulet: H. 7.4 cm Private collection Published: McCullough 2000, p. 74, fig.10

A gold amulet hangs from this chain necklace formed by spooling. This amulet is lost-wax cast in the shape of two naga-heads joined at the neck, which has a wonderfully spiky appearance. The amulet is adorned with a rock-crystal gem set in a tiered conical setting and held in place by six prongs.

Amulets must have been considered auspicious as they are frequently found on images from the tenth century onward (no. 135). The small boy represented in a Koh Ker–style stone image of Shiva and his son displays one on his necklace (no. 42). Apsaras are often shown with them hanging between their breasts in bas-reliefs at Angkor Vat (fig. 14.3).

The chain appears to have the same type of chain and closure system as the previous chain (no. 165) that has been dated to the late eleventh century. It would seem plausible that the present chain and amulet are roughly contemporary or slightly later in date


	171. Diadem Cambodia, Bayon style, late twelfth to thirteenth century Gold and rock crystal Diam. 11 cm Private collection

This small diadem is made of hammered gold sheet that has been decorated in repouss้ with bold flower motifs and a scalloped lotus-leaf upper edge. A flower with four petals that was once inlaid with a rough-cut rock crystal marks the center. A series of ten smaller flower designs, each one inlaid with a rock-crystal gemstone that is now missing, flanks the center flower motif. A pseudo-pearl border design and a rope-pattern border enclose the flower band top and bottom.

The stones were originally set within a raised rim and held in place by four prongs. Rock crystal was readily available in antiquity and was usually used either in the form of polished rough-cut stones or in a simple rounded cabochon shape.1 Faceting a gem, which imparts an added brilliance, was not practiced. The diadem is backed with a hammered gold sheet held in place by the turned-over edges of the front. This backing strengthens the diadem, which may have been used for either statuary or secular jewelry. Stylistically and technically, the piece relates to the gilded-silver armband also dated to the Bayon period (no. 176).

Higham 1989, p. 252; Bunker 2000a, p. 112.


	176. Armband Khmer, Bayon style, twelfth to thirteenth century Gilded silver L. 17 cm; H. 8 cm; Wt. 150 gm. Private collection

This beautiful gilded-silver armband is decorated in repouss้ with three lotus flowers each set with a polished rough-cut gem held by three prongs. Each flower consists of two concentric circles with eight petals that surround the gem. Pseudo-beading runs along the borders of the armband top and bottom. This armband is fashioned from one sheet of silver that has been worked in repouss้ and backed with a plain sheet of silver held in place by the folded-over edge of the front sheet.1 This silver armband appears to have been leaf-gilded, but an initial analysis by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry did not find mercury, so the method of gilding is still to be determined.2

A very fragile gold armband decorated in repouss้ with a more elaborate lotus-flower design was recently found at Prang Thanon Hak, Bang Khun Nak district, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, in an earthen hole under the laterite layers at the front gate of the temple.3 The armband from Prang Thanon Hak does not have a backing and was probably made to adorn a sacred statue rather than a real person (fig. 17.5).

The present armband with its backing is much more stable, and could well have been worn by a member of the elite living in the area of Banteay Chmar where it is reported to have been discovered. Later, it may have been donated to a temple near Banteay Chmar, where it was preserved until it was discovered in the middle of the twentieth century. A Bayon-style bronze image of Avalokiteshvara has armbands decorated with bold lotus flowers similar to those that decorate the present armband.4

Stereomicroscopic examination by Pieter Meyers, June 2003.
Analysis by Janet Douglas, November 13, 2002, Freer Gallery lab. no. LRN5510.1.
Phimai 2001, p. 97.
Groslier 1931, pl. XVII; Giteau and Gueret 1997, p. 125.






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