Cambodian Khmer Stone Sculpture - Shiva & Uma

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Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic

By Artemis Gallery

Feb 21, 2019

Set Reminder 2019-02-21 10:00:00 2019-02-21 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-asian-ethnographic-3858
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• Lot Description
  Southeast Asia, Cambodia, Khmer Empire (Angkor culture), ca. 12th century CE. A buff grey sandstone statue of a male and female pair with finely carved figures and clothing. The couple stand side by side, with linked arms, their bodies facing forward. Each wears a sampot, a long rectangular cloth worn around the lower body that is the 1500 year-old traditional dress of Cambodia; here they are finely rendered, giving the appearance of folds, with elaborate decoration. Above their sampots, each is nude, with a rounded belly. The carving goes fully around the bodies, suggesting that this sculpture sat in the center of a room or somewhere where it could be seen from all sides. The two figures represent Uma and Shiva, husband and wife in Hindu mythology. Size: 5.4" L x 11.95" W x 19.5" H (13.7 cm x 30.4 cm x 49.5 cm); 21" H (53.3 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  Uma is one of the names of Parvati, Hindu goddess of love and fertility, the supreme mother goddess. Her statues and iconography grace Hindu temples throughout Southeast Asia, reflecting the strength of her worship. Shiva, meanwhile, is one of the three major gods of Hinduism, who represents contrasting values: peace and destruction and lust and purity.
  
  Khmer art moved away from Indian styles in the 7th century CE to encompass its own framework; one example of this seen here is that this statue is carved in the round, rather than as a relief on a stela, which was common with Indian and Javanese Hindu and Buddhist sculptures that were previously influencing Cambodian art. The broken arms on this statue, and on so many others from the Khmer, is a testament to the fragility of this remarkable craftsmanship. While this artwork was religious - priests supervised its execution - its realism is unmistakable and some scholars believe that gods and goddesses were portrayed with the features of individual members of the royal court. This sculpture and others like it would have both emphasized the power of the monarchy and given high ranking people joy - after all, who wouldn't want to see themselves sculpted by the finest artisans in stone, compared to a god or goddess?
  
  Provenance: ex-private Maine, USA collection, acquired at auction
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
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  #142556

  Condition

  Heads are lost, as are most of the arms, as shown. Loss from back corner of platform and the tab at the bottom for insertion into a table or floor has some losses as well. Surface wear, including scratches and chips, commensurate with age. Nice remaining detail, especially on the clothing.
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