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Lot Essay
Images such as this have generally been identified as Brahma, the Hindu god of creation, four heads being his primary iconographic feature. The heads refer to his cosmic role as creator and symbolize the four great ages of Hindu mythology. However, as a distinctive feature, all heads are here incised with a third eye, the standard attribute of Shiva. As a possible manifestation of Shiva it could thus be a represention of Mahesha or Sadashiva, although Indian prototypes such as those at Elephanta display varied facial expressions, together symbolizing the contradictory nature of the Divine. Stella Kramrisch refers to an iconographically closely related South Indian Chola stone sculpture as 'Brahma/Shiva', equally incorporating the third eye on all four heads, at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, illustrating this interconnection of the iconography; see Manifestations of Shiva, 1981, cat. no. 45 and p. 54.
Brahma is rarely depicted in the round in the context of Khmer Art, and multi-headed Shivas to an even lesser extent. This is an exceptionaly fine and important example of the Bayon period. The sculptor has ably rendered the subtle modeling of the faces, all with slight variations, sensitively accentuated brows, broad mouth with gentle smile, finely delineated hair, and the ears cleverly overlapping.
No other examples of this period appear to be published. Three important 10th century full figure examples of Brahma are in public collections: the Monkol Borei at the National Museum of Phnom Penh, for which see N. Delsheimer, Les Collections du musée national du Phnom Penh, 2001, cat. no. 54, p. 128f.; the Koh Ker, second quarter 10th century, a seated figure of Brahma at the Musée Guimet, for which see H. Jessup and Th. Zephir, Sculpture of Angkor and Ancient Cambodia, Millennium of Glory, 1997, cat. no. 45, p. 216f.; and the Bakheng figure at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, illustrated in M. Lerner and S. Kossak, The Arts of South and Southeast Asia, 1994, fig. 86, p. 82. Compare also with a 10th century head from the Pan-Asian Collection, in P. Pal, The Sensuous Immortals, 1977, cat. no. 142.
Brahma is rarely depicted in the round in the context of Khmer Art, and multi-headed Shivas to an even lesser extent. This is an exceptionaly fine and important example of the Bayon period. The sculptor has ably rendered the subtle modeling of the faces, all with slight variations, sensitively accentuated brows, broad mouth with gentle smile, finely delineated hair, and the ears cleverly overlapping.
No other examples of this period appear to be published. Three important 10th century full figure examples of Brahma are in public collections: the Monkol Borei at the National Museum of Phnom Penh, for which see N. Delsheimer, Les Collections du musée national du Phnom Penh, 2001, cat. no. 54, p. 128f.; the Koh Ker, second quarter 10th century, a seated figure of Brahma at the Musée Guimet, for which see H. Jessup and Th. Zephir, Sculpture of Angkor and Ancient Cambodia, Millennium of Glory, 1997, cat. no. 45, p. 216f.; and the Bakheng figure at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, illustrated in M. Lerner and S. Kossak, The Arts of South and Southeast Asia, 1994, fig. 86, p. 82. Compare also with a 10th century head from the Pan-Asian Collection, in P. Pal, The Sensuous Immortals, 1977, cat. no. 142.