A KHMER BRONZE FIGURE OF UMA, ANGKOR PERIOD
Cambodia, 12th-13th century. Finely cast standing in samabhanga, wearing a pleated sampot with an elaborate hem, holding a lotus flower in her right hand, richly adorned with jewelry. Her serene face with almond-shaped eyes, an urna, and full lips, the head surmounted by a large and elaborate pointed crown.

Provenance: H. M. Luther, London, 1969. An old British-American collection, acquired from the above. A copy of the original invoice, dated 20 June 1969, dating the piece '10/12th century', accompanies this lot. Founded in London in 1947, H. M. Luther has long been a favorite source of knowledgeable and discerning clients.
Condition: Good condition overall, commensurate with age and as expected for a bronze from this period. Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion, losses, structural cracks, encrustations and minor old fills. Fine, naturally grown malachite patina.

Weight: 802.7 g (excl. base)
Dimensions: Height 25 cm (excl. base) and 27 cm (incl. base)

With an associated wood base. (2)

The finely cast details of the face, clothing and jewelry are all indicative of the Angkor period. Uma was a favored goddess in Khmer Angkor, and while sandstone representations of the goddess abound, bronze devotional figures of Uma are considerably rarer, especially in the size of the present lot.

Literature comparison: Compare a related Khmer bronze figure of Uma, dated 11th-12th century, in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum, accession number IS.62-1993.

Auction result comparison: Compare a related Khmer bronze figure of Lokeshvarara, dated to the 13th century, at Christie's New York in Indian and Southeast Asian Art on 21 September 2007, lot 366, sold for USD 21,250.