The Washington herald., 1921-06-26
A Connoisseur's Integrity.

u ethical development lar greater than tnat
- possessed by either artists collectors and
plain buccaneers of past days are contained IN "A
Cambodian Adventure" by Arthur Dawson Ficke
in the current issue of the North american Repir1o
Mr.. Ficke tells us how he replaced in an ORR
entail temple the head OF statue which he had
admittedly stolen, because OF the feeling that fu-
ture generations might be vexed in possession
of the decapitated body as are we by the Winged
Victory.
an the finely proportioned and lofty pyra-
midal temple OF Takeo," he says, Il had once
curious adventure that brought me into direct and
disturbing relations with the gods On the FIRST
platform of the edhce. in corner where laborers
had recently been working to clear away some OF
the ruined walls l suddenly upon two re-
markable statues of dark bassalt. One was of
silva, standing iu lordly attitude of repose. with
garments carved in archaicly simple dignity and
face that was an exceptionally fine example of
the early Khmer style. The other statue was Of
Parvati the wife of silva; and the instant l set
eyes it knew it to be the most superb work
of Khmer sculpture at its prime that human eyes
are ever likely to see. From delicately but
powerfully moulded woman's body rose the head
that was the statues chief glory; head swere
and magnificent, noble and sensual, disdainful and
exquisite. Among all the sculpture / had ever
looked at nothing had ever moved me did this.
The only comparable heads that knew were one
or two Of the primitive Greek heads Of priestesses
in the Museum Of the Acropolis. l looked at its
strange beauty with increasing wonder
"Then suddenly l that the head had, in
some remote age, been broken free from the body
and now merely rested the shoulders i touched
and majesty of Angkor was all concentrated in
that work of art had ever possessed. 1t was one
it, hid it in my portfolio and, shivering with ex-
citement went quietly out of the temple. ~,
A .1o all thaf Y
and the desire to look necessarily the beautiful
cold face. kept me awake. For me the might
of the most triumphant things in the whole world.
"But the more beautiful and unique realized
il to- be, the more an uneasiness began to possess
me. l was not touched in the slightest degree by
any ordinary remorse or moral msgving; did
not mind stealing thing so imperial this
and vet I was so profoundly disturbed by the
thought that the head and tn ebody of this remark
able statue were now to be separated forev1
Gould / have returned to the temple and
stolen the body too, should have been set com
pletely at rest; but the size and weight OF the
torso prohibited such possibility. sense OF
terrible and irreparable injury done to great
work OF art began to press down on me. though'
Of the Winged Victory which now stands headless
at the top of the great stairway OF the Louvre
Where was that head now3 Where would this
head be when the Louvre held this khmer torso'
How casv il is to diminish the worlds beauty by
more than one has ever been able to add 10 it'
$50 I found could not endure it, after ALL
And in the early dawn, with kind OF disgusted
relief I took back to Takeo the head of Parvati
the wife of silva. To this day, regret her' ana
think that / was somewhat OF a fool to give her