Country Group: South and Southeast Asia (Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam)

Item id: 9517

Incredible 10/11thC Cambodian Buddha head. Remarkably sophisticated in both execution and expression. I've seen two others of this type, that were at this level in 30 years of collecting- one in an old Thai book and one in an old Sotheby's catalog-both listed as 10th or 11thC Cambodia. Traces of gilt remain. Eyes have some of the original crystal or fluorite. Head height is a little over 3.5 inches, total height is 6 inches. The Head is solid or nearly solid cast and is extremely heavy for its size. Rare. The original statue would have stood 16 to 18 inches tall and likely been the largest bronze figure in the temple- Most figures would have been wood or stone. I just decided to have the base re-made and to fake it from my private collection and put it up for sale)
The thing that blows me away is that whoever made this small group of bronzes, the supreme sweetness and evolved sensibility in the faces and shape of the heads is almost in diametric opposition to the war-like thick, almost primitive feel of much of the Dvarati, and some of the early Khmer sculpture. This face almost seems to come from outer space and is not simply incrementally different from the art in the next kingdom over. There are some pre-Kmer and early Mon Buddhas that have very sweet peaceful faces, but they tend to be more child-like, or simple in their nature- this face has a sense of the "profound" that is very different, and one that is rarely embodied as elegantly as than by this piece. An all-time favorite. From a 4 generation family collection, and in my collection since the 1980s s. has been one of my first significant purchases as a collector. PS-some photos are slightly different as taken 4 years apart with different cameras and photoshopped by different people. Did our best to capture accurately both times.