Cambodia, early Phnom Da style, Pre-Anqkorean period (600802)
Krishna Govardhana, first half 6th Century
Gray limestone
John L. Severance Fund 1973.106
©The Cleveland Museum of Art
Location: Gallery 117This larger than life-size sculpture of
Krishna Govardhana shows the god with his left arm lifted in the gesture of supporting Mt. Govardhana. Although both arms and legs are broken off, what remains is indicative of this iconography. The face of Krishna, rather round and flat, has narrow, almond-shaped eyes and eyebrows that form a continuous line (a Southeast Asian characteristic). The partially damaged nose is straight and narrow with sensitive nostrils. The large beautifully cut lips recall Gupta sculptures as does the well modeled torso with its subtle indication of musculature and inner breath (prana) quality.
Its further characteristics include long earlobes with holes (possibly to insert removable earrings), and the hair-do (braided into long ringlets with a chignon at the top), which probably indicate the wig. Wrapped around the hips is a dhoti with the folds marked by incised lines. The semi-smiling expression of the face is indicative of the later mysterious smile so typical of the art of Southeast Asia.
The sculpture is highly polished, although its surface (especially the right side of the figure's face and arm) are weatherworn to a great extent. The image has been in the colleciton of Adolphe Stoclet since 1920. It is one of the eight sculptures known representing Phnom Da style, or the earliest phase of Cambodian art. Six out of these are in the Phnom Penh Museum and only two are in Western collections (Musée Guimet and CMA).