A STANDING DEITY, BAPHUON, KHMER, 11TH CENTURY
A finely polished and exquisitely carved sandstone sculpture of a male deity. His locks are piled above his head in a braided chignon, his deeply meditative face with a protruding lower lip, the wide shoulders taper down to a narrow waist before flaring out into full hips encased by a finely pleated sampot with one end arranged in fan-shaped folds in the front, secured by a belt tied with a ‘fish-tail’ sash in front and terminating in a ‘butterfly knot’ behind, an ubiquitous feature of the Baphuon style.

Provenance: Axel Aylwen, Bargany House, Scotland, acquired in Thailand during the 1970s, in the UK since approximately 1976. A private collector, acquired from the above in 1998. A copy of the original provenance letter, dated October 4th, 1998, is accompanying this lot.
Condition: Extensive weathering and wear, minor dents, nicks and losses as visible on the images in the catalogue and online at www.zacke.at. Overall fine condition, especially when considering the age of this statue.

Weight: 28.5 kilograms (including base) and 21 kilograms (just the statue)
Dimensions: Height 76 cm (just the statue)

This exceptional figure exemplifies the highest achievements of the Baphuon School and is arguably among the best of its kind. The perfectly proportioned, well-modeled volumes flow harmoniously forming an organic, breathing entity that exudes sensuality and grace. The expressive face with its lofty countenance emanates distance and benevolence thus capturing the essence of divineness, and bears elements of portraiture related to the Khmer devaraja (King as God) cult.

Compare with a related sculpture in W. Felten and M. Lerner, Thai and Cambodian Sculpture, Stuttgart, 1988, catalogue nr. 24.