Previous Item | Marcel Nies Main Gallery | Next Item
Contact Marcel Nies

Back to Hindu Deva

Marcel Nies

12. Hindu Deva
Cambodia, Baphuon
late 11th century
Sandstone
height 145 cm
Hindu Deva
Detail: close-up
The male deity figures produced in the Baphuon period are usually Hindu gods rendered in a naturalistic figural style with a narrow waist, full hips and well-modelled legs. The lack of attributes makes the identity of this standing two-armed male deva difficult to determine. He wears a pleated sampot, a rich and complex arrangement of components that rises high on the waist and enwraps the body, and is held in place by a belt with a double fishtail at the back. Part of the sampot covers the left thigh and is arranged in a series of pockets. The end of the belt, again in a double fishtail shape, is tucked in and secured at the right thigh. The sculpture has a smooth polished surface with a fine natural patina. Part of a support for his right arm is still visible on his right thigh; at the back of the ankles are the usual supports; and below the square base is the tang that would originally have secured the statue in its temple base.

The god’s face is characterized by slightly raised eyebrows above almond-shaped eyes with engraved pupils, a mouth with finely delineated lips, and elongated earlobes. His moustache and beard are indicated with great delicacy. The navel and nipples are well marked in a manner typical of the period. Modelled in the round, this deva embodies the typical characteristics of the Baphuon period, which is named after the temple mountain built in the mid-eleventh century as the state temple of Udayadityavarman II and dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.

The majestic presence of this large male deva derives from the expressive facial features and the harmonious, finely carved volumes. The sampot’s rich combination of motifs forms a pleasing contrast with the smoothly polished legs and torso, complemented by a natural weathered patina.

Provenance: Private collection, U.S.A.

Art Loss Register Certificate, Reference S00023708.

M. Giteau, I Khmer. Sculture Khmer e la civiltà di Angkor, Milano, 1965, p.72, no.34.
J. Boisselier, Asia du Sud-Est, Le Cambodge, I, 1966, p. 253, no.60c.
W. Felten and M. Lerner, Das Erbe Asiens: Skulpturen der Khmer und Thai vom 6.zum 14. Jahrhundert, Stuttgart, 1988, p. 222-223, no.26.
H. Ibbitson and Th. Zéphir, Sculpture of Angkor and Ancient Cambodia, Millennium of Glory, Grand Palais, Paris, 1997, p.254, no.65.
P. Baptiste, Th. Zéphir, L’Art Khmer dans les Collections du Musée Guimet, Paris, 2008, p.206, no.60.
Back to Hindu Deva
all text, images © Marcel Nies
Previous Item | Marcel Nies Main Gallery | Next Item
Contact Marcel Nies