Mukhalinga from the Clark Collection:
Almost forgotten among the substantial statues and bronze artworks included among the 70 separate Khmer antiquities that arrived from the United States at the Cambodia National Museum in July, is this sandstone Pre-Angkor Mukhalinga, one of the oldest artifacts to be returned, dating back to the seventh century. Whisked out of its original temple home where it was venerated for centuries, then trafficked across the border into Thailand before eventually ending up in a billionaire’s private collection in Miami Beach, Florida. It was part of the James H Clark’s personal hoard, which included twenty-five Khmer antiquities voluntarily surrendered by the American tech billionaire at the start of 2022 to United States’ authorities. The collector had spent around USD35 million to amass this treasure trove of artifacts for his flashy penthouse from the disgraced art trafficker Douglas Latchford between 2003 and 2008. Latchford supplied looted Khmer art from his Bangkok HQ to an array of private collectors, art galleries and international museums over a fifty-year period. Despite an art collection rumoured to include pieces by such famous names as Monet, Matisse, Picasso, and Van Gogh, the billionaire founder of Netscape was in love with Khmer art and decorated his extensive luxury property, with this particular Mukhalinga placed in the kitchen area. However, after he sold the penthouse, the collection had been kept in storage out of sight for a decade. The Khmer works of art in the Clark collection – which included a monumental Ganesha, Lokeshvaras in sandstone and bronze, pre-Angkor Buddhas, and beautiful statues of Vishnu, Lakshmi and Shiva – began to arrive back in Cambodia at the beginning of 2023, with the remainder making landfall this July.
A small male face distinguishes this linga from others, and as a Mukhalinga – literally, linga with a face – it is the most sacred form of the supreme god, Shiva. A linga is composed of three parts: the square lower section, usually planted in the earth, is associated with Brahma (the Creator); the octagonal mid-section, embedded within a seat or plinth known as the yoni, is associated with Vishnu (the Preserver); and the domed, cylindrical upper section is associated with Shiva (the Destroyer). These three parts represent a phallus and symbolize the principle of existence: that all living beings are thought to exist within an eternal cycle of creation, preservation and termination, which continues throughout eternity. Shivaism was the main religion of Cambodia in Pre-Angkor times, with Shiva almost exclusively represented by the linga. Each linga had its own identity, and many Khmer rulers erected a linga during their lifetime and gave it a name linking their name with Shiva’s, with the hope that they would be reborn after death into the god’s realm. The extreme popularity of the cult of the linga in Cambodia reflects an earlier animistic worship of rock and other nature spirits that existed before the introduction of Indic beliefs into mainland Southeast Asia. The National Museum has around 100 separate lingas in its vaults. This particular example shows an open-eyed Shiva with elongated ears adorned with earrings, with a high headdress that rises into a pronounced ridge towards the peak of the linga.Credit By :Andy Brouwer