A SANDSTONE TORSO OF UMA, ANGKOR WAT PERIOD, BAPHUON STYLE
Khmer Empire, 11th century. Standing in samabhanga on a rectangular plinth, her young unadorned body with prominent breasts and her belly beautifully rounded, wearing a long, pleated sarong tied at the front, the long central fold elegantly culminating in a 'fishtail' shape at the hem, held together at the hips with a patterned belt fastened at the front with a knot.

Provenance: Galleria Kraag, Lucca, Italy, 1997. An important Italian private collection, acquired from the above. A copy of a signed letter of authenticity from Galleria Kraag and a copy of a clipping from a newspaper article from Il Sole 24 Ore, dated 10 August 1997, about an exhibition at Galleria Kraag and mentioning the present sandstone torso accompany this lot.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age, expected weathering, wear and losses, minor nicks, few structural cracks. Some signs of erosion. Fine naturally grown patina overall.

Weight: Figure 11.5 kg, Base 9.5 kg
Dimensions: Height 66 cm (excl. base) and 70 cm (incl. base)

With a modern fitted metal stand. (2)

This piece exemplifies the style of Baphuon female figures with the frontal stance, the ovoid skirt wide at the hips and narrowing around the knees, the sarong in an elevated position at the back and curving down to below the navel and the elegant central pleat. According to Boisselier the highly decorative style of Banteay Srei inspired the development of Baphuon period sculpture, a manner which became more embellished with decorative elements as it reached a zenith during the Angkor Wat period a century later, see Helen Ibbitson Jessup and Thierry Zephir, editors, Sculpture of Angkor and Ancient Cambodia - Millennium of Glory, Washington 1997, page 255.

The modeling of the torso, the curled end of the sarong above the belt and a long central fold certainly recalls Banteay Srei sculpture, see Emma C. Bunker and Douglas Latchford, Adoration and Glory, The Golden Age of Khmer Art, Chicago, 2004, page 175, fig. 8.6.

Auction result comparison: Compare with a closely related sandstone torso, though once multi-armed, at Christie's New York in Indian and Southeast Asian Art on 22 March 2011, lot 477, sold for USD 56,250, and another closely related torso of an originally two-armed figure at Sotheby's New York in Indian and Southeast Asian Works of Art on 19 March 2008, lot 242, sold for USD 361,000.