Devi, probably Uma
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.This remarkable sculpture depicts a Brahmanical goddess (devi), likely Shiva’s consort, Parvati, more widely referred to in early Cambodia as Uma, her favored epithet in southern India. It was discovered in 1901 at a ruined temple complex of the early Khmer city Sambhupura (Sambor on the Mekong). She is graceful, gentle, and maternal—qualities associated with Uma. The body has a fleshy naturalism, with gently articulated folds below the breasts and a softly swelling stomach—a startlingly new naturalism not seen before in early Khmer art. The sculptural style suggests that the workshops at Isanapura (Sambor Prei Kuk) and Sambhupura shared a common pool of temple architects and sculptors.
cat. no. 94
cat. no. 94
Artwork Details
- Title: Devi, probably Uma
- Period: Pre-Angkor period
- Date: mid- 7th century
- Culture: Eastern Cambodia
- Medium: Sandstone
- Dimensions: H. 50 in. (127 cm); W. 18 1/2 in. (47 cm); D. 8 11/16 in. (22 cm); Wt. 268 lbs (121.6 kg)
- Classification: Sculpture
- Credit Line: Lent by National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh (Ka.1621)
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art