Possibly Vishnu; Cambodia, Khmer Empire, Angkor Period, Baphuon style, 11th century.

Possibly Vishnu; Cambodia, Khmer Empire, Angkor Period, Baphuon style, 11th century.
Sandstone.
Remains of polychrome.
Support included.
Measurements: 71 x 29 x 14 cm; 169 cm (height with stand).
This sandstone sculpture, from Cambodia and corresponding to the Khmer Empire during the Angkor period, belongs to the Baphuon style (ca. 1010-1080), one of the most technically and symbolically refined moments of Khmer art. The figure represents a male deity, possibly Vishnu, recognizable by his majestic bearing and the frontal and symmetrical structure of the body, characteristic of the divine representations of this period.
The body, of balanced proportions and modeled with a restrained softness, expresses a hieratic serenity that emphasizes the spiritual transcendence of the figure. The face, with serene and geometrized features, is framed by a richly carved conical headdress, while the skirt or sampot, finely sculpted with schematic folds, reflects the attention to detail and the search for harmony between form and symbolism.
The Baphuon style is distinguished by the synthesis between naturalism and abstraction, where the human anatomy is idealized under canons of spiritual perfection. The sculpture, although fragmentary, preserves the dignity and balance of Angkorian religious art, in which the stone material is transformed into a vehicle of divinity, testimony of the deep religiosity and the high artistic level reached by the Khmer civilization in the eleventh century.