Khmer Female Deity, Prei Kmeng Style, 7th Century

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Height: 31.75 cm without stand, 42.5 cm with high quality metal stand

This stone pre-Angkor sculpture is of a youthful goddess. Although some of the features of her face seem slightly exaggerated, they are very skillfully integrated into a harmonious relationship. The long almond-shaped eyes beneath the great arch of the full brow, the well-shaped fleshy lips and delicate nose combine to form an autocratic expression – dignified but authoritative.

Her hair is arranged into a sloping mound of individual strands. These are carefully looped and fall down in three distinct tiers. The sections of hair crossing her forehead follow the Prei Kmeng styles as seen on the Lakshmi of Prasat Thleang. The style designation of this goddess, possibly Parvati, seems to indicate the late Prei Kmeng period, the third quarter of the seventh century.

Asian Antiques