“This is a guardian statue of a temple. It is made from sandstone. The statue was taken from the Baphuon temple in Siem Reap Province, for displayed and later registered into the collection of the National Museum.
Based on the study and analysis of the sculpting style, jewelry and decorative patterns, this statue belongs to the Angkorian era. It was classified in the Bayon style of the late 12th to early 13th century under the reign of King Jayavarman VII, from the year 1181 to 1218 CE.
Its face features a calm, charming, modest and serious expression full of hope. The head of the guardian wears a semicircular diadem. The eyebrows bend like arches.
The hair is styled in a conical shape, covered by four layers of lotus petals patterns, with the same decoration for the earrings. The lower part of the body wears a knee high garment, folded at the waist. Although the large legs are almost in proportion from the thigh down to the feet.
In sculpting the statue, the artists have clearly not followed the body measurements and anatomy at all. In general, Architects and artists created temple guardians to decorate entrances or gate of major monuments./.”