Cambodia, Angkor, Preah Khan / c. 1200
Colossal Head of a Deva
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Colossal Head of a Deva as stone (Cambodia, Angkor, Preah Khan · c. 1200).
The deity’s conical tiara consists of a diadem with floral decoration and is topped by a five-tiered lotus narrowing upward.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this stone as sandstone.
The museum's collection notes: This head is from one of the gods ( devas in Sanskrit) who, according to Hindu myth, churned the primordial Ocean of Milk to extract the nectar of immortality. Using a mountain as a churning rod and a serpent as the rope, the gods on one side and the demons on the other vied to win the nectar. The gods prevailed and achieved immortality.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtColossal Head of a DevaOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.