220 - 19th-Century School

19th-Century School "Bonzerie by P. Kân (Pursat)" - Cambodia Watercolor monogrammed and dated in the lower right corner. Height: 20.5 cm. Width: 31 cm. Visible condition. (Stains, pinholes). André Salles (1860–1929), an explorer and photographer, visited the “monastery” at Préak-chan [Bra Khan] in 1886. He brought back numerous photographs—now preserved at the BNF—as well as a detailed account: “Six years ago, a traveling monk, after traversing all the forests of Siam and Cambodia, happened to pass through here; there, beneath a collapsed thatched hut, he found an enormous reclining Buddha, shaded by a mighty sacred fig tree (…). The place was deserted, frequented only by tigers and wild elephants; the monk deemed the spot conducive to meditation and settled there in the hope of attaining nirvana. Since then, a group of natives and a community of monks and nuns have come to clear the forest and settle around him. ( ) The banyan tree majestically raises its sacred branches into the air. It is among its roots (...) that the monk has made his home. There he has a veritable pigeon coop where one cannot even stand upright: the roof, walls, and floor are made of mats. The furnishings are simple: a pillow, a copper spittoon, a few sacred books, and a reclining Buddha, sheltered under a parasol and surrounded by small seated Buddhas and wooden elephants.