Female Hindu deity

The sculpture of the ancient Cambodian kingdom of Angkor is often characterized by a certain formality and reserve. This image of an unidentifiable goddess, for instance, does not show the sensuousness and movement typical of many Indian images of goddesses. The sculptor seems interested, however, in the interplay of horizontals (such as the bands of the tiara and the lines of the brow, mouth, and upper edge of the skirt) with verticals (such the nose, the pleats of the skirt, and the pendants hanging from the belt). In contrast to these straight lines, the volumes of the torso and the lower skirt narrow and swell.

At the back of the head you can see how the tiara would have been attached. Such tiaras were presumably made of flexible gold. The back also shows clearly the Angkorian artist’s inclination to contrast smooth and patterned surfaces.