КХМЕРСЬКИЙ БРОНЗОВИЙ РИТУАЛЬНИЙ МЕЧ У ЗІБРАННІ НАЦІОНАЛЬНОГО МУЗЕЮ ІСТОРІЇ УКРАЇНИ

Abstract

The purpose of the study is attribution of the rare sword, which probably comes from Cambodia, and its introduction into scientific circulation. At the time of admission to the National Museum of Ukrainian History (NMIU) in 2009, the sword consisted of two hollow fragments, the side thickness of which does not exceed a few millimetres. The surface of the sword was tinted with an alcohol-soluble paint that imitates noble patina. This sword can be both a replica of a famous historical artefact and an original ritual object related to the cult of the Hindu Trimurti. The shape of the sword from NMIU is similar to the relic of Cambodia – the Sword of Victory (Preah Khan Reach) and the coronation sword of Thailand (Phra Saeng Khan Chai Si).
The sword from NMIU is cast from non-ferrous metal. On its blade there is a relief composition with the image of a man who, engulfed in flames, dances under a tree, on the branches of which four animals walk. The dancing figure is located on a hill, on either side of which there are two slightly smaller human figures armed with swords.
The hilt of the sword is decorated with a repeating motif of a multi-petalled rosette. The relief of the sword depicts four embossed faces. The end of the handle looks like a human head with four faces, in a headdress resembling a four-tiered temple-stupa.
Analogies of the sword from NMIU are artefacts presented on Internet resources.
The first analogy is the bronze sword and trident, dating from the 10th to 11th centuries and whose place of origin is called the province of Siem Reap in Cambodia. This sword is similar in shape to the sword from NMIU, and the trident is decorated with a composition similar to that available on the blade of the sword from NMIU.
The second analogy is a bronze Khmer votive gift to the temple of the 12th century with the image of the same composition as on the sword from NMIU: a man dancing under a tree, on the branches of which there are two pairs of animals.
The third analogy is a bronze ceremonial Khmer sword depicting Brahma on the hilt, dating to the late 18th century (or earlier) and “purchased in Cambodia about 30 years ago by a private collector”. In shape, this sword is similar to the sword from NMIU. Its handle is decorated with a repeating flower motif. The composition of the relief image on the blade is somewhat different: a man sitting in a meditative position under a tree.

Another Khmer bronze sword is similar in shape to that stored in NMIU. The hilt of the sword is decorated with a repeating motif of a flower. The relief depicts a man dancing under a tree and a man sitting on a lotus flower.
Thus, on all the listed analogies of the sword from NMIU there are relief images of a man dancing under a tree. The content of this composition allows us to find out the images on stone bas-reliefs stored in the National Museum of Cambodia (Phnom Penh) or placed in the Hindu temples of Ankara, the temples of the 11–12th centuries Prasat Sihorafum (Thailand) and Prasat Phnom Chizor (Cambodia). The central figure of these reliefs is Shiva, who dances on the head of Kali. Shiva is accompanied by slightly smaller figures of Vishnu and Brahma.