Divinity; Dong Duong, Quang Nam province, Champa, Vietnam. 11th century.

Divinity; Dong Duong, Quang Nam province, Champa, Vietnam. 11th century.
Stone.
It presents faults.
Measurements: 70 x 42 x 32 cm.
Stoneware sculpture carved in round bulk, which by its dimensions is likely to be part of the ornamentation of a temple. Although it is not possible to specify which divinity the piece represents, we can identify numerous lakshana, iconographic symbols that identify the Buddhas. The first we see is the bun hairstyle, symbol of meditation, of spiritual life (with the Ushnisha inspired by a stupa). Together with the half-closed eyes, a serene face is completed by the sketched smile, symbol of the balance and serenity of a perfect being. The elongated earlobes allude to the large earrings worn by members of the upper classes in India at the time of Sakyamuni, and represent the concepts of greatness, nobility and wisdom.
Champa was a Southeast Asian civilization that flourished along the coasts of what is now central and southern Vietnam for a period of approximately 1,000 years, between 500 and 1700 AD. The Cham created free-standing sandstone sculptures in round bulk, as well as high and low relief sandstone carvings. In general, they seem to have preferred to sculpt in relief, and excelled especially in high relief sculpture. Cham sculpture went through a marked succession of historical styles, the main one of which produced some of the finest works of Southeast Asian art.