DR. PAL:
With its beautiful carving, this elegant figure is one of the most admired Southeast Asian sculptures in the collection. It is also one of the most controversial, because scholars disagree whether it depicts the Hindu god Surya, the sun god, or Vishnu, the preserver of order in the universe.
Whatever the figure’s exact identity, everyone agrees on its aesthetic qualities. The face is almost perfectly proportioned, with tense lips conveying the god’s determination, and almond-shaped eyes once inlaid with glass or obsidian.
Walk around and take a look at its back. There, sensitively modeled muscles reveal the tautness and grace of an athletic body, like that of a classical Greek sculpture.
It is not surprising that this sculpture from Thailand represents a god from an Indian religion. Much Southeast Asian art, culture, and religion, along with concepts of law and kingship, were based on Indian ideals.
Hindu Deity
7th century
Asia: Thailand, Phetchabun, Si Thep
On View
The identity of this sculpture is uncertain because of its missing iconographical attributes and fractured state. The figure has generally been identified as the solar deity Surya because of the halo that is partially extant in addition to the octagonal miter worn by the god. This designation is, however, by no means certain as images of Vishnu and Krishna from Si Thep have similarly shaped crowns. Moreover, the short sampot worn by the figure is associated with images of Vishnu from Si Thep.
Details
- Title: Hindu Deity
- Date: 7th century
- Culture: Thai
- Medium: Sandstone
- Dimensions: overall: 45 x 17 x 7 1/2 in. (114.3 x 43.2 x 19.1 cm)
- Credit Line: Norton Simon Art Foundation
- Accession Number: M.1980.13.S
- Copyright: © Norton Simon Art Foundation
Object Information
Lerner, Martin, The Connoisseur, pp. 200-201
Pal, Pratapaditya, Marg, fig. 21 pp. 74-75
Knoke, Christine, Minerva, fig. 6 p. 28
Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art: Selections from the Norton Simon Museum, fig. 1 pp. 60-61
Czuma, Stanislaw, The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, fig. 12 pp. 235-236
Pal, Pratapaditya, American Collectors of Asian Art, fig. 21 pp. 138 - 139
Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 3: Art from Sri Lanka & Southeast Asia, no. 82 pp. 102-103, 112-113, 116, 179, 188
Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, cat. 899; cat.1012 pp. 349, 362
Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, cat. 1012 p. 362
Woodward, Hiram, Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association, p. 91
Melody Rod-ari, Journal of the History of Collections, fig. 6 p. 486
Pal, Pratapaditya, Marg, fig. 21 pp. 74-75
Knoke, Christine, Minerva, fig. 6 p. 28
Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art: Selections from the Norton Simon Museum, fig. 1 pp. 60-61
Czuma, Stanislaw, The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, fig. 12 pp. 235-236
Pal, Pratapaditya, American Collectors of Asian Art, fig. 21 pp. 138 - 139
Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 3: Art from Sri Lanka & Southeast Asia, no. 82 pp. 102-103, 112-113, 116, 179, 188
Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, cat. 899; cat.1012 pp. 349, 362
Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, cat. 1012 p. 362
Woodward, Hiram, Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association, p. 91
Melody Rod-ari, Journal of the History of Collections, fig. 6 p. 486
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