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46 Chapter 4 The Dancers and Musicians of Tra Kieu: Pedestal or Base? Pierre Baptiste Abstract One of the most original and specific characteristics of Cham Art lies in the many sumptuous decorated pedestals that one encounters all along its development. Among the most celebrated pieces of the kind, the ‘dancers’ pedestal from Tra Kieu, preserved in Da Nang Cham Museum, has never been analyzed in the light of contemporary architectural decoration. This study will lead us to consider the organization, iconography, and decoration of some tenth- to eleventh-century sanctuaries in central Vietnam. Comparing the celebrated dancers with other well-known pedestals [Mỹ Sơn E1 (seventh century), Mỹ Sơn A10 (ninth century), Mỹ Sơn A1 (tenth century), Tra Kieu (tenth century)] we will try to provide another interpretation of their original position in the temples and their typology. The study will establish a distinction between the pedestal for the Deity (properly speaking), offering altars, and the basement decoration of the Classical Cham Kalan. The well-known ‘dancers’ pedestal of Tra Kieu ranks amongst the masterpieces of Southeast Asian sculpture and is one of the most beautiful pieces in Da Nang museum (Figure 4.1). Studied by Jean Fig 4.1 The ‘dancers’ pedestal’. Base decoration of Tra Kieu main tower. Found in 1918 in Tra Kieu (Quang Nam province). Tenth century CE. Sandstone. Da Nang museum. Inv. 22.5. (Photo by the author) 04 ISEAnn.indd 46 6/6/08 9:43:29 AM 47 THE DANCERS AND MUSICIANS OF TRA KIEU Boisselier in his extensive survey of Cham sculpture (Boisselier 1963: 179), it has been considered as being part of a large pedestal housed within the now long destroyed main tower of Tra Kieu (Claeys 1931: pl. XXX, tower A), dating back to the tenth century CE. The purpose of this paper is to bring together the dismantled elements that once belonged to this so-called pedestal in order to show that they were probably part of the outer decoration of the tower. Exhibited in the Tra Kieu gallery of the museum, this ‘pedestal’ is today, in fact, made up of three disparate elements of a larger unit. Cut at the level of the dancers’ and musicians’ ankles that appear on both of its sides, the upper part is not directly related to the lower fragments. This arbitrary joining together of elements belonging to the same ensemble but obviously coming from different parts of it was indeed justified in the 1935 museography by the concern for evoking the original rhythm of the complete composition. The problem of the current presentation lies in the fact that the original corner of the bottom section of the ‘pedestal’ has never been recovered. The main part of this bas-relief was first published by Henri Parmentier in 1918 not long after its discovery in Tra Kieu.1 In Parmentier (1919: 58–60; 1922: pls. XX, XXI) we find the most detailed and explicit introduction to this sculpture and the whole ensemble it belongs to. According to Parmentier, these elements were the: fragments of an imposing step of a pedestal which measured three meters on each side and approximately 1.10 m in height. It was composed of 15 or 16 large blocks of which two only, in addition to some remnants, were found. This step was decorated with 12 female dancers and eight male musicians, without taking into account a staircase on one of the sides, where the composition would have to have been modified. The horses that appear in the bottom part of the composition are a vestige of the symbolical chariot–altar that we so often find in Indian art. The dancers and the musicians seem to be dressed only with jewels made of pearls of particular richness. We also note the strange mukuta with holes that make the hairstyle visible (Parmentier 1922; Pl. XX and XXI). As it is exhibited today, the largest and nicest fragment constitutes a corner section decorated with a pilaster, framed at top and bottom by sharply-outlined, foliated, cusp-shaped moldings. These moldings follow the outline of the pilasters with the exception of the top one — a flat rectilinear band bearing no decoration, and not following the pilasters’ indentations. The importance of the symmetrical ‘doucine’ (the horizontal ‘S’-shaped molding) at the base and top of our ‘pedestal’ allows us to rank it amongst the ‘lotus-like pedestals’ (padma-pitha) — be it a pedestal for a cult image...

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