Head from an image of a diefied king carved in sandstone wearing a very elaborate crown and a diadem tied with a knot at the back of his head. Crisply delineated facial features carved in high and low relief. Original encrusted patina. First Angkor style, style of Koh Ker, Cambodia.

Head from an image of Vishnu or a deified king, early 9th century

expand_more
On View in Gallery 213expand_more

This powerfully carved head reflects the concept of the God-King (Deva-Raja), a system of statecraft that originated in India but was taken to new heights during the Khmer Empire (802–1437 CE). Despite being consecrated under the protection of the Hindu deity Shiva, the Khmer identified most closely with Vishnu, preserver of universal order. In fact, the deity often took on the likeness of individual Khmer rulers. In a fragment such as this, which is missing bodily attributes such as multiple arms, it is difficult to distinguish between divine human and god. In keeping with the period’s style, crisply detailed hair frames a face of steely perfection, with a detached yet eternal smile and an inner benevolence radiating from faintly chiseled eyes.

file_downloadprintshare
arrow_back home
Explore

Audio

Head from an Image of Vishnu or Deified King, Cambodia (#191)
Details
Title
Head from an image of Vishnu or a deified king
Role
Artist
Dimension
9 1/2 in. (24.13 cm)
Accession Number
69.86.1
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know

Zoom in on the left to the detail you'd like to save. Click 'Save detail' and wait until the image updates. Right click the image to 'save image as' or copy link, or click the image to open in a new tab.

Head from an image of a diefied king carved in sandstone wearing a very elaborate crown and a diadem tied with a knot at the back of his head. Crisply delineated facial features carved in high and low relief. Original encrusted patina. First Angkor style, style of Koh Ker, Cambodia.