The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 15, 2025

Dark green-black sculpture of a figure wearing a slim pleated, gold skirt as well as gilded necklace, armbands, shell shaped earrings hanging down, and an evenly patterned diadem on their head. Their right arm is bent at the elbow to reach out and left arm broken away just below the shoulder. Their eyes are detailed by carved out irises, lips pressed evenly together, corners turned slightly up.

Royal Female Figure

late 1000s

Cambodia

partially gilt bronze and silver
Overall: 35.5 cm (14 in.)
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 1982.51
Location: 243 Indian and Southeast Asian

Did You Know?

This royal female figure's eyebrows and pupils were originally inlaid with silver or semiprecious stones.

Description

The identity of this figure is uncertain, since the objects she held are missing, and no other related sculptures have been located. Since she has only two arms and wears a crown, she is probably a royal woman. Semiprecious stones or metals, such as onyx or silver, would have been inlaid into her eyes and eyebrows, further enlivening her image. The gilded adornments are set off against her dark shining skin to dazzling effect. Most Cambodian stone sculptures have lost their gold jewelry, so this figure gives an accurate impression of how many would have looked when installed in their sanctuaries.
  • by 1977
    The Pan-Asian Collection, New York, NY
    ?–1982
    (Robert H. Ellsworth [1929–2014], New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1982–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Pal, Pratapaditya. The Sensuous Immortals: A Selection of Sculptures from the Pan-Asian Collection. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1977. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 149, p. 245
    Lee, Sherman E. “Year in Review for 1982.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 70, no. 1 (1983): 3–55. Mentioned: no. 127, p. 55; Reproduced: no. 127, p. 35 www.jstor.org
  • Reinstallation of “Krishna Lifting Mount Govardhan”. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 12, 2024-November 2, 2025).
    The Year in Review for 1982. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 5-February 6, 1983).
    The Sensuous Immortals. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA (October 25, 1977–January 15, 1978); Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA (March 9–April 1978); Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO (May 26–July 30, 1978); Nelson Atkins Gallery, Kansas City, MO (September 15–October 29, 1978).
  • {{cite web|title=Royal Female Figure|url=false|author=|year=late 1000s|access-date=15 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1982.51