Les collections khmeres du Musée Albert Sarraut | Khmer Art Collections of the Phnom Penh Museum

Founded 12 Aug. 1919, the Musée Albert Sarraut of Phnom Penh (to become National Museum of Cambodia) initially gathered Khmer art items and exhibits coming from a) EFEO archaelogical discoveries on the Cambodian territory b) individual donations or sales from people who had found artefacts by chance c) HM King Sisowath's collection at the Royal Palace.

In this illustrated catalog, Museum founder and director George Groslier presented the "major pieces" from ten specific collections:

1) 290 stone statues and statuettes (including fragments)

2) 55 stone inscriptions, dated from the 7th to the 14th centuries

3) 110 fragments of monuments, door frames, tower bases, decorative stones, basins, bas-reliefs, boundary stones, etc...

4) around 700 pieces of bronze art, including 300 statuettes (pre-Angkorian times to modern times) figuring in particular Shiva and Uma, Vishnu and Laksmi, Harihara, Vishvakarman, Ganesha, Agni, dancing Apsaras, Dvârapâla, the Buddha standing or sitting, Avalokiteçvara, Vajrapâni, Hevajra, Prajüâpâramitâ, and also lighting devices, harness and kitchen ware, gongs and bells...

5) 292 pieces of jewelry and decoration in precious metals

6) 120 weapons and tools from the 19th century, and a few Japanese swords from the 16th century

7) More than 600 pieces of ceramic

8) 85 local coins and medals

9) Ramayana (Reamker) illuminations on canvas

10) Ethnographic pieces including music instruments, ballet-theater masks and costumes...

It has to be noted that the datation, origin and interpretation of many pieces, notably improved since the 1930s, often remain an ongoing effort.