{"id":10679,"date":"2026-10-03T22:55:56","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T20:55:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/?post_type=approfondimento&#038;p=10679"},"modified":"2026-10-04T09:15:35","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T07:15:35","slug":"khmer-sculpture-harihara-the-divine-body-and-the-carving-of-dress","status":"publish","type":"approfondimento","link":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/insights-ancient-art-of-asia\/khmer-sculpture-harihara-the-divine-body-and-the-carving-of-dress\/","title":{"rendered":"Khmer sculpture: Harihara, the divine body and the carving of dress"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">A seventh\u2013eighth-century head of Harihara and a tenth-century torso of a male deity, both carved in sandstone and documented in the Dalton Somar\u00e9 archive, reveal two aspects of Cambodian sacred sculpture. In the 40-centimetre head, the headdress identifies the subject; in the 84-centimetre torso, bodily structure and the carving of the sampot establish the figure\u2019s presence. Their chronological distance makes the comparison useful for examining solutions from different periods.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Harihara combines Vishnu and Shiva in a single image. In the gallery\u2019s head, Vishnu\u2019s cylindrical mitre and Shiva\u2019s ascetic topknot occupy the two halves of the headdress. The face retains a unified modelling: the distinction between attributes is integrated into the figure\u2019s vertical axis. This relationship between an undivided face and a divided headdress provides a concrete way to examine the local development of an iconography originating in India.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Metropolitan Museum\u2019s Harihara, accession 1977.241, dated to the late seventh\u2013early eighth century, provides a comparison for this programme. Its museum record emphasises the distinction between mitre and piled hair, and half of the third eye on Shiva\u2019s side. The comparison concerns the arrangement of attributes; the Dalton Somar\u00e9 head should also be examined through its own formal coherence, following the continuity of its features and the height of the headdress.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the tenth-century Khmer torso, attention shifts to the relationship between anatomy and dress. Broad shoulders, defined pectorals and a narrowed waist organise large surfaces joined to the volume of the hips. The sampot introduces a denser, more geometric pattern of folds. The contrast between the modelling of the torso and the carving of the fabric gives the figure rhythm, revealing the sculptor\u2019s handling of two different surface qualities.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Together, the works show how the study of sacred sculpture also depends on its physical construction. The headdress identifies Harihara; proportions and dress articulate the male deity\u2019s body. Comparing the fragments preserves these differences and encourages a separate examination of attributes, volumes and clothing. John Guy\u2019s Lost Kingdoms catalogue places the earlier work within the wider context of the circulation and adaptation of Hindu and Buddhist images in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n<h3>References and comparative works<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/art\/collection\/search\/38162\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Harihara, 1977.241<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/resources.metmuseum.org\/resources\/metpublications\/pdf\/Lost_Kingdoms_Hindu_Buddhist_Sculpture_of_Early_Southeast_Asia.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">John Guy, Lost Kingdoms: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Early Southeast Asia, 2014<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Works in the Gallery<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/work-of-art\/hari-hara-cambodia-pre-khmer\/\">Harihara, Cambodia<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/work-of-art\/male-deity-cambodia\/\">Male deity, Khmer, Cambodia<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Related reading<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/insights-ancient-art-of-asia\/hari-hara-shiva-vishnu-hindu-sculpture\/\">Harihara: Shiva and Vishnu<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/insights-ancient-art-of-asia\/southeast-asian-art-regional-adaptation-and-sacred-language\/\">Sacred sculpture of Southeast Asia<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A seventh\u2013eighth-century head of Harihara and a tenth-century torso of a male deity, both carved in sandstone and documented in the Dalton Somar\u00e9 archive, reveal two aspects of Cambodian sacred sculpture. In the 40-centimetre head, the headdress identifies the subject; in the 84-centimetre torso, bodily structure and the carving of the sampot establish the figure\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2443,"menu_order":46,"template":"","area_approfondimento":[148],"class_list":["post-10679","approfondimento","type-approfondimento","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","area_approfondimento-arte-orientale-antica"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Khmer sculpture: Harihara, body and dress | Dalton Somar\u00e9<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A Harihara head and a tenth-century torso: attributes, proportions and sampot in Cambodian sculpture, with documented museum comparisons.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/insights-ancient-art-of-asia\/khmer-sculpture-harihara-the-divine-body-and-the-carving-of-dress\/\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Khmer sculpture: Harihara, body and dress | Dalton Somar\u00e9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A Harihara head and a tenth-century torso: attributes, proportions and sampot in Cambodian sculpture, with documented museum comparisons.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/insights-ancient-art-of-asia\/khmer-sculpture-harihara-the-divine-body-and-the-carving-of-dress\/\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dalton Somar\u00e9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Dalton.Somare\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-04T07:15:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.daltonsomare.com\\\/en\\\/insights-ancient-art-of-asia\\\/khmer-sculpture-harihara-the-divine-body-and-the-carving-of-dress\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.daltonsomare.com\\\/en\\\/insights-ancient-art-of-asia\\\/khmer-sculpture-harihara-the-divine-body-and-the-carving-of-dress\\\/\",\"name\":\"Khmer sculpture: Harihara, body and dress | Dalton Somar\u00e9\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.daltonsomare.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.daltonsomare.com\\\/en\\\/insights-ancient-art-of-asia\\\/khmer-sculpture-harihara-the-divine-body-and-the-carving-of-dress\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.daltonsomare.com\\\/en\\\/insights-ancient-art-of-asia\\\/khmer-sculpture-harihara-the-divine-body-and-the-carving-of-dress\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.daltonsomare.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/01\\\/Hari-Hara-Cambodia-Pre-Khmer-7th-8th-cent.-40-cm.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-03T20:55:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-04T07:15:35+00:00\",\"description\":\"A Harihara head and a tenth-century torso: attributes, proportions and sampot in Cambodian sculpture, with documented museum comparisons.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.daltonsomare.com\\\/en\\\/insights-ancient-art-of-asia\\\/khmer-sculpture-harihara-the-divine-body-and-the-carving-of-dress\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.daltonsomare.com\\\/en\\\/insights-ancient-art-of-asia\\\/khmer-sculpture-harihara-the-divine-body-and-the-carving-of-dress\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.daltonsomare.com\\\/en\\\/insights-ancient-art-of-asia\\\/khmer-sculpture-harihara-the-divine-body-and-the-carving-of-dress\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.daltonsomare.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/01\\\/Hari-Hara-Cambodia-Pre-Khmer-7th-8th-cent.-40-cm.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.daltonsomare.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/01\\\/Hari-Hara-Cambodia-Pre-Khmer-7th-8th-cent.-40-cm.jpg\",\"width\":4270,\"height\":5231,\"caption\":\"Hari Hara Cambodia Pre Khmer, 7th - 8th cent. 40 cm\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.daltonsomare.com\\\/en\\\/insights-ancient-art-of-asia\\\/khmer-sculpture-harihara-the-divine-body-and-the-carving-of-dress\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.daltonsomare.com\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Khmer sculpture: Harihara, the divine body and the carving of dress\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.daltonsomare.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.daltonsomare.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Dalton Somar\u00e9\",\"description\":\"Fine African Art \u2013 Ancient Art of Asia\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.daltonsomare.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"Dalton Somar\u00e9 Gallery Milano\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.daltonsomare.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"Organization\",\"ArtGallery\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.daltonsomare.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Dalton Somar\u00e9\",\"alternateName\":\"Dalton Somar\u00e9 Gallery Milano\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.daltonsomare.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.daltonsomare.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.daltonsomare.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/Dalton-Somare-Gallery-Milano.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.daltonsomare.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/Dalton-Somare-Gallery-Milano.png\",\"width\":1638,\"height\":1687,\"caption\":\"Dalton Somar\u00e9\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.daltonsomare.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/Dalton.Somare\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/dalton_somare_milano\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/dalton-somare\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UCESUxIEubGYjrJPKLjmFX3w\"],\"address\":{\"@type\":\"PostalAddress\",\"streetAddress\":\"Via Borgonuovo 5\",\"postalCode\":\"20121\",\"addressLocality\":\"Milano\",\"addressCountry\":\"IT\"},\"telephone\":\"+39 02 89096173\",\"email\":\"info@daltonsomare.com\",\"openingHoursSpecification\":[{\"@type\":\"OpeningHoursSpecification\",\"dayOfWeek\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\\\/Tuesday\",\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\\\/Wednesday\",\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\\\/Thursday\",\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\\\/Friday\"],\"opens\":\"15:30\",\"closes\":\"19:00\"}],\"foundingDate\":\"1993\",\"founder\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Leonardo Vigorelli\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Grata Somar\u00e9\"}]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Khmer sculpture: Harihara, body and dress | Dalton Somar\u00e9","description":"A Harihara head and a tenth-century torso: attributes, proportions and sampot in Cambodian sculpture, with documented museum comparisons.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/insights-ancient-art-of-asia\/khmer-sculpture-harihara-the-divine-body-and-the-carving-of-dress\/\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Khmer sculpture: Harihara, body and dress | Dalton Somar\u00e9","og_description":"A Harihara head and a tenth-century torso: attributes, proportions and sampot in Cambodian sculpture, with documented museum comparisons.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/insights-ancient-art-of-asia\/khmer-sculpture-harihara-the-divine-body-and-the-carving-of-dress\/\/","og_site_name":"Dalton Somar\u00e9","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Dalton.Somare","article_modified_time":"2026-10-04T07:15:35+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/insights-ancient-art-of-asia\/khmer-sculpture-harihara-the-divine-body-and-the-carving-of-dress\/","url":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/insights-ancient-art-of-asia\/khmer-sculpture-harihara-the-divine-body-and-the-carving-of-dress\/","name":"Khmer sculpture: Harihara, body and dress | Dalton Somar\u00e9","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/insights-ancient-art-of-asia\/khmer-sculpture-harihara-the-divine-body-and-the-carving-of-dress\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/insights-ancient-art-of-asia\/khmer-sculpture-harihara-the-divine-body-and-the-carving-of-dress\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Hari-Hara-Cambodia-Pre-Khmer-7th-8th-cent.-40-cm.jpg","datePublished":"2026-10-03T20:55:56+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-04T07:15:35+00:00","description":"A Harihara head and a tenth-century torso: attributes, proportions and sampot in Cambodian sculpture, with documented museum comparisons.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/insights-ancient-art-of-asia\/khmer-sculpture-harihara-the-divine-body-and-the-carving-of-dress\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/insights-ancient-art-of-asia\/khmer-sculpture-harihara-the-divine-body-and-the-carving-of-dress\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/insights-ancient-art-of-asia\/khmer-sculpture-harihara-the-divine-body-and-the-carving-of-dress\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Hari-Hara-Cambodia-Pre-Khmer-7th-8th-cent.-40-cm.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Hari-Hara-Cambodia-Pre-Khmer-7th-8th-cent.-40-cm.jpg","width":4270,"height":5231,"caption":"Hari Hara Cambodia Pre Khmer, 7th - 8th cent. 40 cm"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/insights-ancient-art-of-asia\/khmer-sculpture-harihara-the-divine-body-and-the-carving-of-dress\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Khmer sculpture: Harihara, the divine body and the carving of dress"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/","name":"Dalton Somar\u00e9","description":"Fine African Art \u2013 Ancient Art of Asia","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/#organization"},"alternateName":"Dalton Somar\u00e9 Gallery Milano","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["Organization","ArtGallery"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/#organization","name":"Dalton Somar\u00e9","alternateName":"Dalton Somar\u00e9 Gallery Milano","url":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Dalton-Somare-Gallery-Milano.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Dalton-Somare-Gallery-Milano.png","width":1638,"height":1687,"caption":"Dalton Somar\u00e9"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Dalton.Somare","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/dalton_somare_milano\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/dalton-somare","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCESUxIEubGYjrJPKLjmFX3w"],"address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"Via Borgonuovo 5","postalCode":"20121","addressLocality":"Milano","addressCountry":"IT"},"telephone":"+39 02 89096173","email":"info@daltonsomare.com","openingHoursSpecification":[{"@type":"OpeningHoursSpecification","dayOfWeek":["https:\/\/schema.org\/Tuesday","https:\/\/schema.org\/Wednesday","https:\/\/schema.org\/Thursday","https:\/\/schema.org\/Friday"],"opens":"15:30","closes":"19:00"}],"foundingDate":"1993","founder":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Leonardo Vigorelli"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Grata Somar\u00e9"}]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/approfondimento\/10679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/approfondimento"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/approfondimento"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"area_approfondimento","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/area_approfondimento?post=10679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}