A pair of sandstone figures of Vishnu and Lakshmi

KHMER, ANGKOR PERIOD, ANGKOR VAT STYLE, 12TH CENTURY

Details

A pair of sandstone figures of Vishnu and Lakshmi
Khmer, Angkor period, Angkor Vat style, 12th century
The four-armed Vishnu standing equipoise holding a conch in his upper left hand, wearing a pleated sampot with a double-fishtail fold at the front and a butterfly fold at the rear secured by a beaded belt, the torso bare and the face serene with incised eyes and full lips; Lakshmi wearing a pleated sampot folded over at the waist and secured by an ornamented belt, anklets, upper arm bands, a multi-strand necklace and bud shaped earrings, her face with slight smile and ridged brow; both with plaited hair surmounted by a conical headdress and tiara
24¾ in. (67.7 cm.), the higher

Provenance

Ghigo Collection, London, acquired in Brussels, summer 1980

Lot Essay

For a figure comparable to Lakshmi, including similar treatment of the folded-over sampot, jewelry and facial features, see N. Dalsheimer, Les collections du musée national de Phnom Penh, 2001, p. 147, no. 65. The Vishnu can also be compared with N. Dalsheimer, op. cit., p. 152, no. 68.

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