Southeast Asia, Cambodia, Khmer Empire, ca. 9th to 12th century CE. An impressive head of a Hindu deity, likely Vishnu or Shiva, impressively hand-carved from reddish-gray sandstone. Gazing forth from slender eyes, the ancient deity presents a lifelike visage comprised of a fine, arched brow line, a prominent nose with broad nostrils, full cheeks, a dimpled chin, and plump lips bearing a gentle smile. A pair of ears flank his visage, their elongated lobes cascading down his cheeks, just below an elaborate headdress with a flared rim and central columnar adornment, all meticulously incised with horizontal and vertical bands of complex decoration. Size: 3.8" W x 5.5" H (9.7 cm x 14 cm); 8.2" H (20.8 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 previously influenced Cambodian art. From this, we can infer how Khmer sculptors would have desired their artwork to be viewed from all sides, and thus placed in the center of temples rather than against a wall. While this artwork was religious - priests supervised its execution - its realism is unmistakable, and some scholars believe that gods and goddesses were portrayed with the features of individual members of the royal court. This sculpture and others like it would have both emphasized the power of the monarchy and given high ranking people joy - after all, who wouldn't want to see themselves sculpted by the finest artisans in stone, compared to a god?

Cf. Cleveland Museum of Art, 1940.53.

Provenance: private San Francisco, California, USA collection, acquired 1970s to 2000s

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#170446

Fragment of a larger piece. A few stable hairline fissures, as well as some nicks to underside of chin and proper right cheek. Some minor abrasions, commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent with impressive preservation of detail.