Southeast Asia, Cambodia, Khmer Empire (Angkor culture), ca. 12th century CE. A gorgeous sculpture of a female bust, skillfully carved from gray stone. The elegant example displays wide, square shoulders, perky breasts, and a slender torso, all presenting with excellent posture. This sculpture may represent Jayarajadevi, the first queen consort of the Khmer emperor King Jayavarman VII, depicted as the female bodhisattva Tara, also known as the "mother of liberation," and associated with virtues of success in work and achievements. Size: 8.5" W x 4.75" H (21.6 cm x 12.1 cm); 9.75" H (24.8 cm) on included custom stand.

Khmer art moved away from Indian styles in the 7th century CE to encompass its own framework; one example of this seen here is that this statue is carved in the round, rather than as a relief on a stela, which was common with Indian and Javanese Hindu and Buddhist sculptures that were previously influencing Cambodian art. Some scholars believe that gods and goddesses were portrayed with the features of individual members of the royal court, just as this piece likely represents Jayarajadevi as Tara. This sculpture and others like it would have both emphasized the power of the monarchy and given high ranking people joy - after all, who would not want to see themselves sculpted by the finest artisans in stone, compared to a god or goddess?

This piece has been searched against the Art Loss Register database and has been cleared. The Art Loss Register maintains the world’s largest database of stolen art, collectibles, and antiques.

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-private Cheshire, England collection from the 1980s

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#166786

Collection labels on base. Fragment of a larger piece. Some surface wear with abrasions, commensurate with age. Otherwise, very nice. Stable fissure to verso of modern stand.