Maurice Glaize

Maurice Glaize (26 December 1886 – 17 July 1964) was a French architect and archeologist, Conservator of Angkor from 1937 to 1945.

Born to a family of artists in Paris (his father was an architect and his grandfather was Auguste-Barthélemy Glaize), he attended at École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, learning under the architect Henri Deglane. In 1913 he put in for the École française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO), but ranked second behind Georges Demasur. On 3 January 1914 he married Louise Carlier, who gave him four sons and was a devoted mate. He served during World War I in a balloon unit, and then finally on 11 June 1919 he achieved the qualification of .

He lived in Paris several years, working mostly as freelance architect, but never losing his interest in Indochina. Thanks to his cousin, François Glaize, he was recruited by the Crédit foncier et de l'Union immobilière d'Indochine and worked as architect and agency manager at Phnom Penh from 1928 to 1930 (participating into the building of the Royal Palace), then as architect-in-chief at Saigon from 1931 to 1934.

His contract wasn't renewed at the end of 1934 due to world economic crisis so, while on leave in France, when he became acquainted with the tragic death of Georges Alexandre Trouvé he put in for open position. His candidacy was formally accepted and after a temporary contract with Crédit foncier de l'Ouest africain at Dakar, he embarked for Saigon at Marseille with his wife and two children on 2 October 1936. He was appointed permanent member of EFEO on 1 December 1936 and "Conservator of Angkor" in following year.

He initially accepted a relatively poor wage from government, considering his qualifications and the present state of his family, and encountered some difficulties dealing with colonial administration. Besides that it was only some years later, thanks to general governor Catroux, that restoration funds raised to a notable level.

In spite of such economical restrictions, his work was surely impressive and involved many buildings, not only at Ankgor. Sometimes his intervention was limited and consisted in excavation and consolidation, as for East Mebon (1937-1939), Phnom Krom (1938) and Phnom Bok (1939). For other buildings he used partially anastylosis, as in Neak Pean (1938-1939), Preah Khan, Bayon (between 1939 and 1946) and the North Gate of Angkor Thom, but in particular cases he opted for deeper or larger interventions, as in Preah Palilay (1938-1938), Bakong (1936-1944), Banteay Samré (1936-1946) and West Mebon (1943-1944). The extent of his work led George Coedès to assert that Maurice Glaize's name will remain bound to the resurrection of the Khmer capital city of Angkor.

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