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6. Devi Cambodia, Sambor Prei Kuk 7th c. sandstone, natural breaks and patina, height 64 cm. |
Female images in the round of pre-Angkor date are rare and the lack of attributes makes it difficult to determine the precise identity of this devi. However, her regal appearance indicates that she is one of the popular goddesses of Hinduism. Based on the style of her high coiffure it has been suggested that the statue might represent Lakshmi, the female consort of Vishnu, who has been worshipped since early times as the goddess of fortune. Depicted in a standing posture, the goddess is unadorned but for her elaborately braided and piled jata, and the belt that holds her sarong in place. The goddess appears as a portrait of a person of great beauty with well modelled breasts above incised beauty marks. Her ears are elongated as a sign of royalty and the volumes of her body are of a pure and natural shape beneath the delicate fabric of the sarong, which is gathered at the front and sides to fall in fine pleats. The earliest religious sculptures of Cambodia, created before the unification of the Khmer empire in the ninth century by Jayavarman II, are described as being in the Pre-Ankor style. A small number fine sculptures of female goddesses are known in the style of Sambor Prei Kuk, the modern name of Isanapura, the capital of the kingdom of the same name that was ruled by Isanavarman (615-635). The style reflects an Indian stylistic influence and is relatively naturalistic with well observed forms and gentle flowing volumes. The sarong is worn low on the hips in a manner likewise typical of the period. The intricately chased buckle of the belt and the high elaborate braided jata with its finely divided strands of hair and cascading locks are typical and can be compared to the famous image of the Koh Krieng Devi, now in the national museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. The same museum exhibits a figure of Harihara, also from Sambor Prei Kuk, with a similar style jata. This early and rare Cambodian devi is not only a portrayal of a person with an intense expression. It was created to achieve a spiritual effect, conveying a meaning beyond the sculpture itself. The combination of pure volumes, majestic presence and spirituality rank it among the finest examples of its kind, exhibiting the great artistic qualities of early Cambodian sculpture. Provenance: Private collection Netherlands. Art Loss Register Certificate, Reference S00003589. N. Dalsheimer, Les collections du musée de Phnom Penh, L’art du Cambodge ancien, Paris, 2001, p.128, n°28. Cambodia, Uma, Koh Krieng, Sambor on the Mekong, second half of the 7th century, height 127 cm, National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Ka 1669. H. Jessup and T. Zéphir, Sculpture of Angkor and Ancient Cambodia, Millennium of Glory, Washington D.C. National Gallery of Art, 1997, n°19. Cambodia, Devi, Koh Krieng, Sambor on the Mekong, first half of the 7th century, height 127 cm, National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Ka 1621. M. Tranet, Sambaur-Prei-Kuk. Monuments d’içanavarma (615-628) et ses environs, vol.III, s.l., 1998-1999, p. 288. Cambodia, Sambor Prei Kuk, 7th century, height 14 cm. |