Untitled

Unknown

late 6th–early 7th century · Sandstone · Asian Art

Spirits—some protective, many malevolent—have always populated the landscape of Southeast Asia. Among the earliest surviving figurative sculptures from the region are enigmatic images best understood as personifications of the land and its elements—rocks, rivers, and trees. These nature-cult figures (yakshas and yakshis) existed alongside the emerging Hindu culture in mainland Southeast Asia and reflect a marriage of the two traditions. In an Indic setting, this deity probably represented Kubera, king of the yakshas and guardian of nature’s wealth. cat. no. 14

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 6th–early 7th century

Medium

Sandstone

Culture

Vietnam

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of John and Evelyn Kossak, The Kronos Collections, 1983