12th - 13th c., Khmer Empire
Provincial work.
19 cm high without stand.
 
The goddess Uma, also known as Parvati, daughter of the mountains, was the consort of Shiva.
 
Shiva’s exploits were represented on the relief carvings of Angkor Wat, the center of the Khmer dynasty and the largest religious monument in the world. Thus, Uma was a favored goddess of Khmer artists for her important stature in the Hindu hierarchy.
 
This bronze sculpture depicts the goddess standing straight, holding a rolled-up scroll in her right hand and the stem of a lotus in her left. She is adorned by an elaborate floral diadem and necklace of petal-shaped pendants. The carving of her conical coiffure imitates the form of a lotus bulb. Her ears droop down to her shoulders from the weight of her ear ornaments. She wears two bands high up on her arms, both decorated with rosettes in the center, and two heavy anklets just above her feet. Her voluptuous torso is exposed while a long, pleated sarong covers her lower body, supported by a belt decorated by suspended leaf-shaped pendants and two central rosettes.
 
Fair condition