Chefs-d’œuvre du delta du Gange

It was one of the big let downs at the end of 2007: the maor exhibition at the musée Guimet on the treasures of Bangladesh, that had been postponed more than once, was finally canceled following a theft committed during transit at the airport of Dacca. The catalogue that was fortunately published is the best opportunity to get near this art we hardly know. Divinities sculpted in the Xth century on black stone steles (Bouda, Siva or Durga, the «murderer of the buffalo demon») are close to manuscripts on palm leaves. Decorative plates in terracotta, with a scene of an elephant hunt, follow bronzes and sculpted pillars from the Vth century. A palette with blush, a jewel case, coins, a millstone and its pestle, all allow us to enter two centuries of daily life. Avec ses essais sur la langue, l’histoire, la religion, l’architecture (from the temple of Paharpur until the Parliament designed by Louis Kahn), the catalogue intends to be a general introduction to the art of Eastern Bengal. It can help us await patiently until the next opportunity to admire it for real…

• Chefs-d’œuvre du delta du Gange, collective work, Réunion des musées nationaux, 2007, 49 €. ISBN : 978-2-7118-5282-6