A RARE KHMER, BAPHUON STYLE, GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF HEVAJRA

Description:

Cambodia, 11th cent.
H. 31,5 cm (o.S)
Standing in paryankasana, his sixteen arms radiating around his body and formerly the hands holding separate casted attributes, wearing vertical striated sampot secured by a belt and with long fish-tail shaped flange falling between the legs, the reverse with butterfly shaped element, bejewelled, his head consisting of nine faces, all with incised ridged eyebrows set above incised almond-shaped eyes, broad noses, pouting lips and elongated earlobes with pendeloque ear rings mounted
Important South German private collection, acquired at Christie's Amsterdam, 10.12.2002, lot 163. With a copy of an owner's letter from A.I. Donaldson, London, dated 15.7.1994, stating that this bronze was acquired by him in Hong Kong in the early 1970s and brought to England in 1982
Although quite a number of bronzes representing the tantric deity Hevajra are known, hardly any dates back to the Baphuon period (11th century). Also its large size and the fact that most of the gilding is still present, makes it an important testimony of this type. Another Hevajra from this period, although smaller and without the gilding, is presently in the Phnom Penh National Museum and published by N. Dalsheimer in Les collections du musee national de Phnom Penh, Paris 2001, p. 247 - Minor traces of age, wear, very slighlly chipped, slightly corroded