Vishnu Statue - Antique Stone Angkor Wat Style Male Deity Torso (probably Vishnu) - 60cm / 24"

Antique Stone Angkor Wat Style Male Deity Torso (possibly Vishnu) - 60cm / 24"

Measures - (Height) 60cm/24"

An antique Khmer style Male torso (possibly Vishnu). The sculpture is depicted in the Angkor Wat style.

Typical of the Angkor Wat style the sculpture possesses a grandeur, the torso swells to a heavy and conventional shape evoking the aesthetic of the early tenth century. At the same time, the statue is not submitted to strict iconographic norms, the statue loses its stiffness and becomes more human.

The sculpture embodies authority with its heavy silhouette. The carving is beautiful as you can see in the fine details of the dhoti. Each detail is rendered perfectly. The features suggest the prana, or inner breath, that signifies superhuman power. The figure is clad in traditional Khmer Dhoti.

The art of Angkor Wat is in many ways in opposition to that of the preceding Baphuon style. The style is a return to frontality and hieratism. The shoulders are larger, the torso swells to a heavy and conventional shape evoking the aesthetic of the early tenth century; affirming a hieratism without moderation. Yet the sculpture is not submitted to strict iconographic norms, the statue loses stiffness and becomes more human.

The sculpture is a free standing form, in the round. It is clear that the artist anticipated this sculpture being enjoyed from all sides.

The torso is mounted on a wood base (later).

Provenance: Private Singapore Collection.

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