An exceptional grey sandstone head of a male deity, probably Vishnu, with an enigmatic smile; wearing large earrings and a tall, slightly tapering mitre headdress.

Vishnu, together with Brahma and Siva, is one of the members of the Hindu trimurti (Skt. �Triple Form�). Vishnu becomes incarnate in different divine forms (avatars) from age to age in order to preserve the world.
This style of Pre-Khmer sculpture used to be referred to as Prasat Andet. For a related image in the Cleveland Museum of Art, see plate 14 in Emma Bunker and Douglas Latchford, Adoration and Glory: The Golden Age of Khmer Art, Chicago: Art Media Resources, 2004.

PROVENANCE: Property of a private English collector. Acquired by the owner�s father during employment with the British Foreign Service during the 1950s or 1960s.