A LARGE KHMER STATUE OF VISHNU11th - 12th century. Carved sandstone. Vishnu stands in samabhanga with his legs slightly apart. He is wearing a vertically-striated sampot secured by a belt with double fish-tail textile sections falling to the front. His face displays an enigmatic expression of calm determination showing almond-shaped eyes below ridged eyebrows and a moustache and beard framing his lips. His hair is coiffed in a chignon and secured by a tiara carved with stylized flower-heads.Provenance: From an old private collection, Belgium, acquired in Asia before 1970. Thereafter Austrian private collection.Condition: Well-preserved and fully original condition with some wear and weathering as well as losses visible on the photos in the catalogue and online at www.zacke.at. The head and one leg reattached. Modern base.Weight: 141.8 kilograms inclduing the base.Dimensions: 190 cm including the base and 147 cm without the base.Vishnu is one of the most important divine forms of Hinduism and shows himself in a variety of manifestations. His avatars include Rama and Krishna. In addition, Vishnu is part of the Trimurti, a union of the three cosmic functions of creation, maintenance and destruction, which is illustrated by Vishnu (maintenance), Brahma (creation) and Shiva (destruction).The Kingdom of Khmer, also called Angkor Empire, is now known as Cambodia and was one of the major empires in Southeast Asia. The greatest legacy of the Empire is Angkor, which was then the capital, with its majestic sights. It illustrates the immense power and wealth at that time and still impresses by its art, culture and architecture. The beginning of the Khmer Empire dates back to around 802 AD under the ruler Jayavarman II and ended with the fall of Angkor in the 15th century.Compare with a related statue of Vishnu at Christies Paris in ‘Arts d’Asie’ on December 11th, 2013, lot 342, and another December 10th, 2014, lot 353.