This impressive image of Shiva, seated in a posture of royal ease, represents a specific, rare type of Cham (early Vietnamese) sculpture known as the Dong-duong style. Dong-duong was a famous Buddhist monastery, no longer extant. Some of its sculptures survived, however, to give us an idea of this unique and powerful style.The sculpture is Hindu, although it was produced within the context of Buddhist art, as was the case with some Hindu sculptures made in Cambodia. Chams, who were originally vassals to Khmers but eventually defeated them, had many points in common with the Cambodians, with the syncretism between Buddhist and Hindu sculptures being one of them.The most imposing group of sculptures from Dong-duong that survives today is in the Danang Museum in Vietnam. Among the several Buddhist images and guardian figures (three life-size dvarapalas) is an altar with a seated image of Shiva, comparable to this sculpture. The Shiva in the Cleveland Museum of Art represents probably the most important sculpture of this style in the United States today. It was also one of the earliest Asian sculptures acquired by the museum, entering the collection in 1935.The Dong-duong style is represented predominantly by large-scale sculptures of great dynamism and strength, distinguished by a certain awkwardness but possessing nonetheless a refreshing and charming quality. The broad facial features, uniquely Vietnamese, consist of double-outlined thick eyebrows forming a continuous line, flat nose with large nostrils, and a wide mouth with fleshy lips. The upper lip, with a bushy moustache, is usually more prominent and dominates the lower one, below which is a short receding chin. The facial expressions are more often than not forbidding and almost grotesque. A great emphasis is usually put on heavy and deeply cut jewelry and ornaments, richly decorated with floral motifs, in this instance the headgear of the figure and its large floral earrings.The base of the figure is decorated on the front and two sides with vertical rectangular panels depicting a mask of glory (kirttimukha), another landmark of this style. S.C.
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This impressive image of Shiva, seated in a posture of royal ease, represents a specific, rare type of Cham (early Vietnamese) sculpture known as the Dong-duong style. Dong-duong was a famous Buddhist monastery, no longer extant. Some of its sculptures survived, however, to give us an idea of this unique and powerful style.The sculpture is Hindu, although it was produced within the context of Buddhist art, as was the case with some Hindu sculptures made in Cambodia. Chams, who were originally vassals to Khmers but eventually defeated them, had many points in common with the Cambodians, with the syncretism between Buddhist and Hindu sculptures being one of them.The most imposing group of sculptures from Dong-duong that survives today is in the Danang Museum in Vietnam. Among the several Buddhist images and guardian figures (three life-size dvarapalas) is an altar with a seated image of Shiva, comparable to this sculpture. The Shiva in the Cleveland Museum of Art represents probably the most important sculpture of this style in the United States today. It was also one of the earliest Asian sculptures acquired by the museum, entering the collection in 1935.The Dong-duong style is represented predominantly by large-scale sculptures of great dynamism and strength, distinguished by a certain awkwardness but possessing nonetheless a refreshing and charming quality. The broad facial features, uniquely Vietnamese, consist of double-outlined thick eyebrows forming a continuous line, flat nose with large nostrils, and a wide mouth with fleshy lips. The upper lip, with a bushy moustache, is usually more prominent and dominates the lower one, below which is a short receding chin. The facial expressions are more often than not forbidding and almost grotesque. A great emphasis is usually put on heavy and deeply cut jewelry and ornaments, richly decorated with floral motifs, in this instance the headgear of the figure and its large floral earrings.The base of the figure is decorated on the front and two sides with vertical rectangular panels depicting a mask of glory (kirttimukha), another landmark of this style. S.C.
Context
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