This massive and comprehensive volume is the culminating publishing event of the author's lengthy and meticulous research into Khmer mythology, its messages and meanings. From around 800 to 1300, the Khmer empire stretched across a vast swath of Southeast Asia ; its powerful rulers built magnificent temples to glorify their reigns, and adorned them with carved stone work of immense size, complexity, and artistry. In statuary, myriad pediments and lintels, and many miles of bas-relief walls were portrayed the lives and legends of Hindu gods, adopted and transformed from Indian sources, and Buddhist themes. Professor Roveda has previously published on the motifs and mythology of the Khmer stonework in the Angkor area; this monumental volume incorporates that work as well as his researches on the great Khmer monuments flung across Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos, and is illustrated with over 1800 color images in text and on a supplementary CD.
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About the Author
Vittorio Roveda holds doctorates in both geology and Asian art history, the latter a product of his work on the semiotics and narrative techniques of Khmer bas reliefs. From 1990 to 1995 he taught the history of Asian art at the University of Singapore.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Images of the Gods,
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This review is from: Images of the Gods: Khmer Mythology in Cambodia, Laos & Thailand (Hardcover)
This standard work about the Khmer mythology in South East Asia is certainly of great use for professionals but also comprehensible for non-experts, although for non professionals a basic interest in and knowledge of, for instance, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, the Puranascould be useful for the understanding of the massive information of this book.
To estimate the real value of this book and enjoy it completely the reader should preferably have had the occasion to visit Khmer monuments in Cambodia, in Thailand or/and in Laos or at least have read some standard works about the Khmer architecture. Angkor: Celestial Temples of the Khmer[[ASIN:9622177271 Angkor: Cambodia's Wondrous Khmer Temples, F[[ASIN:9748225836 Sacred Angkor: The Carved Reliefs of Angkor WatThe Khmers (The Peoples of South-East Asia and the Pacific)Angkor: An Illustrated Guide to the MonumentsAngkor: Temples et monumentsKhmer Mythology: Secrets Of Angkor Watifth Edition (Odyssey Illustrated Guide)]]Sacred Angkor: The Carved Reliefs of Angkor WatThe Archaeology of Mainland Southeast Asia: From 10,000 B.C. to the Fall of Angkor (Cambridge World Archaeology)AngkorCambodian Architecture: Eighth to Thirteenth Centuries (Handbook of Oriental Studies/Handbuch Der Orientalistik)
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An essential visual encyclopedia of Khmer art,
By Kent Davis "Devata Org - Khmer Studies" (Anna Maria Island, FL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Images of the Gods: Khmer Mythology in Cambodia, Laos & Thailand (Hardcover)
Southeast Asia is a complex intersection of South Asian and East Asian cultures; from the 9th to the 14th centuries the Khmer Empire ruled Southeast Asia and linked all these roads.
Vittorio Roveda has made two profound prior contributions to Khmer history: his 1998 work Khmer Mythology: Secrets Of Angkor Wat, followed by Sacred Angkor: The Carved Reliefs of Angkor Wat in 2007. His third major work, Images of the Gods: Khmer Mythology in Cambodia, Laos & Thailand, draws from both previous studies and includes the photography of Jaro Poncar Angkor Revisited, and others to create the ultimate visual reference of Khmer art. These key works wouldn't have been possible without the organizational and graphic contributions of River Books publisher, Narisa Chakrabongse Siam in Trade and War: Royal Maps of the Nineteenth Century. Seeing an edition from River Books Press guarantees quality, value and graphic sophistication. It is important to note that our North American edition from Ray Furse at Floating World Editions also relies on the Thailand printing model. Books like this are, unfortunately, not possible to produce in the United States at this price point. "Images of the Gods" is a casebound edition of 640 pages with more than 1,800 color illustrations. The book also includes a photos CD (that I personally found tedious - difficult to navigate with low quality digital images). But as a "freebie" in a book that Amazon now sells for $72? A crazy good value for anyone interested in the subtleties of Khmer art. The photos are indexed by legend, description and era. The Table of Contents includes: Making images of the gods; Images in Khmer art; Chronology of Khmer images and styles; Vaishnava myths; Krishna myths; The Mahabharata; The legend of Rama; The Shiva myths; Lesser gods and deities; Mythological figures and events; Buddhist legends; The Jatakas; The Bodhisattva; Heraldic images of the Buddha; Historic and secular events; Tapestry reliefs; Undecoded reliefs; The diffusion of images in Cambodia; The diffusion of images in Thailand and Laos; Visual narratives: a summary; Selected temple plans; End notes; Glossary; Bibliography; and Index. This is a masterpiece of art history and an important reference tool for any library relating to the study of Asian art.
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