God Shiva

This bronze icon of the Hindu god Shiva differs in several aspects from his original renditions in India. Here, Shiva is identifiable by his snake armband and the presence of his third eye, with his long hair tied up in a topknot like that of an ascetic. He appears with all the weight and importance of a mature, distinguished royal personage. Around the neck and shoulders he bears a multi-strand necklace; in his ears are massive, pendant earrings; and around the hips he wears a patterned sampot with a long ornamental panel falling in a point over his thigh. This sculpture was discovered in the Mekong Delta, in southern Vietnam, although it may have been moved there from elsewhere in the Angkor kingdom.