376 - STANDING BRONZE VISHNU KHMER 13TH TO 14TH CENTURY

STANDING BRONZE VISHNU KHMER 13TH TO 14TH CENTURY Dimensions: Height 14,5 cm Wide 5 cm Depth 4,5 cm Weight: 439 grams A small Khmer bronze figure of Vishnu standing frontally on a rectangular base, his slender body balanced beneath broad shoulders and a tall cylindrical headdress. Four arms identify the deity, although the attributes they once held are now lost. A short sampot is secured at the waist, while large earrings and a necklace provide restrained ornament against the simplified modelling of the body. Vishnu was one of the principal deities represented in Khmer art, particularly within the religious landscape of the Angkor period. His four arms traditionally carried attributes such as the discus, conch, mace and lotus, allowing his identity to remain legible even when individual implements have disappeared. The strong frontality and compact proportions give this bronze a quiet monumentality despite its modest scale. Its dark aged surface and direct modelling focus attention on silhouette and sacred presence rather than elaborate detail, qualities well suited to a portable devotional image.