A MONUMENTAL SANDSTONE HEAD OF A MALE DEITY, ANGKOR WAT STYLE
Khmer Empire, 12th century. The face with a serene expression marked by almond-shaped eyes below ridged brows, a broad nose, and full lips, flanked by elongated earlobes, one with a pendeloque earring. The neatly incised hair with a diadem in front surmounted by the conical headdress.

Provenance: Dr. J. Macken, Antwerp, Belgium.
Expert Authentication: A signed certificate on the letterhead of Galerie de Ruimte, Oude Aziatische Kunst, Jean en Marcel Nies, addressed to Dr. J. Macken, confirming the attribution and dating stated above, accompanies this lot. Marcel Nies is a Belgian art expert and dealer who specializes in important works of art from Southeast Asia, India, and the Himalaya regions. Active since 1975, he has built an internationally recognized expertise and advises numerous vetting committees worldwide. Apart from the annual exhibitions held at his gallery, Marcel Nies has taken part in TEFAF Maastricht for over 30 years, showcasing some of the finest pieces in his collection. He has supplied works of art to important private collections and museums, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the museum for Ostasiatische Kunst Koeln, the Victoria and Albert Museum London, the Rietberg Museum Zurich, the Metropolitan Museum New York, the Asian Art Museum San Francisco, the Barbier-Mueller Museum Dallas, and the Asian Civilization Museum in Singapore.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion, losses, nicks, scratches. Fine, naturally grown, smooth patina.

Weight: 50.2 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 45 cm

Mounted to an associated wood base. (2)

The present head dates to the Angkor Wat period, in the twelfth century, when the Khmer Empire was at its territorial zenith. This starts with the reign of Suryavarman II (1113-1145), who ordered the construction of Angkor Wat, the largest temple of the Angkor period, dedicated to Vishnu. The present head's expression, however, is more reminiscent of the Bayon style, built in the late 12th or early 13th century as the state temple of the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII, and perhaps represents a transition from the Angkor Wat style to the later Bayon.

Stylistically, the sculpture of the Angkor Wat period is marked by a return to the somewhat angular and upright modeling of the periods preceding the Baphuon style of the eleventh century. The size of sculpture from the Angkor Wat period, however, is generally in line with the more diminutive Baphuon period works, in contrast to the monumental sculpture of the tenth century and earlier.