Rix Enchères

This is a remarkable flamed head antefix in the Tap Nam style from the Champa kingdom of Vietnam, dating from the 11th to the 14th century. Carved from gray sandstone, the piece is a temple element featuring the head of a deity, likely the Buddha, set against a flamed background.
​The face has thick, heavy features, with full lips and eyebrows in sharp relief. The eyes appear closed, and the pupils are not marked. A hooked nose and an enigmatic, gentle smile, reminiscent of the Khmer Bayon style, characterize the expression. The Jata mukuta (headdress) is decorated with parallel braids, and a pearl band at its base is a feature sometimes found in Shaivite art from Cambodia. The elongated earlobe runs parallel to the head.
​The piece exhibits natural wear and tear, with one side of the face showing more pronounced earthy deposits due to uneven exposure over time. The "flamed" decoration, typical of the Tap Nam style, is confirmed by the presence of a characteristic snail motif with a point.
​This specific piece has a significant provenance, having been part of a former Nguyen collection, acquired between 1930 and 1950, and later sold at a Drouot auction. The piece's dimensions are 54cm in height, 36cm in width, and 26cm in depth. Its representation of a Buddhist deity is unusual for the style, but the serene and enigmatic expression points toward this hypothesis.

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