IMPORTANT DURGA. SANDSTONE.
Khmer. Prae-Angkor; Sambor Prei Kuk style. First half of 7th c.

Grey Sandstone with residue of original polishing and finely patinated skin. The exquisitely chiseled torso conveys the beauty and powerful elegance of the goddess Durga in the form of a gorgeously shaped young lady with slender waist. Her breasts are flawless with small nipples and aureoles. Under her neckline the collar bones are visible. There are remnants of the hip cloth with a knot under her navel.

Even with the capital city Ishanapura being a religious center at that time; figures form that period are astonishingly seldom. This torso is comparable with the well known figures of Harihara and Durga from Sambor Prei Kuk and a female deity from Koh Krieng. Height 47cm; width 31;5cm; depth 22cm. Condition A/B.

Provenance:
-Private collection Hong Kong since 1962/3
-Art Loss Register Certificate S00028994

Literature:
-Dalsheimer; N.: Les collections du musee national de Phnom Penh; L'art du Combodge
Ancien; Paris 2001. Compare: Fig. 26 (Durga); fig. 27 (Harihara); fig 28
(female deity from Koh Krieng).
-H.I. Jessup and Th. Zephir: Sculpture of Angkor and Ancient Cambodia; Millennium of Glory;
New York 1997. Compare: Fig. 18; p 168-169.
-Th. Zephir: Before Angkor; An Art in Formation. New York/London 1997. Compare:
p 145.

Art trade; Van Ham.