Cambodian Shiva

Bronze Shiva

This beautiful, solid-cast bronze image of Shiva dates to the 13th century and possibly earlier. The face is particularly well cast; its details are bold and crisp.

Shiva stands, holding a string of rosaries in his right hand and a walking staff or maybe a trident (the ‘fork’ of the trident perhaps long missing) in his left. He wears a multi-strand necklace, prominent pendant earrings which touch the necklace at the throat; and a high Khmer-style headdress with a tall chignon. He has a prominent third eye n the middle of his forehead, along with a single, undulating brow and a prominent nose. The knees are pronounced. His waits cloth is very simple: a plain, thin belt holds folds of textile at the front, back and sides.

A single cord-like strand cuts across his chest. This is the long, thin body of a snake that is wrapped across his torso and back with the head of the snake appearing erect over Shiva’s left shoulder. (The presence of the snake allows for a conclusive identification of this image as Shiva.)

The bronze is in excellent condition. It has a fine patina and sits atop a custom-made stand.

Bunker, E.C. & D. Latchford, Adoration and Glory: The Golden Age of Khmer Art, Art Media Resources, 2004.

Bunker, E.C. & D. Latchford,

Khmer Bronzes: New Interpretations of the Past, Art Media Resources, 2011.

Zefferys, M.L., N.S. Zefferys & J. Stone,

Heaven and Empire: Khmer Bronzes from the 9th to the 15th Centuries, White Lotus, 2001.

UK art market