Page 187 - Bonhams Cornette Saint Cyr, Property from the estate of Jean-Pierre Rousset (1936-2021)

A noted by Sherman Lee in the ground
breaking exhibition on Cambodian sculpture at
the Asian House Gallery in New York in 1969
‘This fragment of a male head- probably that
of a Buddha- although very incomplete, gives
another version of the Bayon sculptural type.
The stylised, bead-shaped locks arranged in
vertical rows, the thick projecting eyebrows,
the closed eyes with well-formed lids, and
the sensuous mouth with its corners raised
in a smile.’
This magnificent fragment of the time of
Jayavarman VII captures, despite the section
lost, an emotion that no other work of
Khmer art from earlier period had managed
to deliver. The youthful face already wears
all signs of maturity. The high forehead
and very thick eyebrow give a feature of
naturalistic interpretation that connect,
like many sculpture of the period with the
portrait of Jayavarma VII (see H.I.Jessup and
T.Zephir, Sculptures of Angkor and Ancient
Cambodia, Washington 1997, p.301, no.89).
The serene expression is amplified by the eye,
closed in a deep meditation, conveying total
introspection and perfect tranquility. Also see
H.I.Jessup and T.Zephir, Sculptures of Angkor
and Ancient Cambodia, Washington 1997,
pp.305-315, nos.92-98.
Executed in a very fine sandstone whose
quality was reserved for exceptional pieces,
this head is the testimony of the magnificence
of the Bayon period and the work of an
inspired artist.
柬埔寨 巴戎寺風格 十二世紀末/十三世紀初
砂岩像首
來源：
巴黎Robert Rousset（1901-1981）舊藏，
於1965年4月19日得自曼谷Smit藝廊
巴黎Jean-Pierre Rousset（1936-2021）舊藏
展覽著錄：
Sherman Lee, 《Ancient Cambodian
Sculpture》，Asia House畫廊，紐約，
1969年10月，頁85，編號48

Lot 76 illustrated by Sherman Lee, Ancient
Cambodian Sculpture, Asia House Gallery,
New York, October 1969, p.50, no.12

Lot 76 (two views)
THE ROUSSET COLLECTION | 185