Under the influence of the two great religions,
Khmer art evolves into an extremely rich form of religious art. Most of the
artistic production, the sculptures in particular, is made of sandstone or
bronze. Smaller works of art are used as presentation pieces while larger works
are monumental statues considered to be the ‘owner’ of the temples and are
often indeed fixed in place.
It must be noted that the Preah Neang Deví carved on
temple bas-reliefs have not been included in the present study. Rather our
study focuses on the works of art kept in the museum. The Preah Neang Deví
statues are either sculptures in the round or small groups making up triads
such as the Brahmanic or Buddhist triads.
Female deities may be classified into the following
two groups:
-
Deities that represent the wives
of the gods, the goddesses, and characterized by identifiable elements such as
personal attributes, and image of Amitábha.
-
Deities that symbolize the queens
when they are portrayed in the likeness of female monarchs in portrait-statues.
If we consider the Preah Neang Deví from the second
group without taking into account their original environment of magnificent
temples and living servants, this means the profound meaning of the sculpture
has eluded us.
The Preah Neang Deví are not merely symbolic
representations of the queens, they also reflect the genius of Khmer artists
and the social values of the time (for instance, the absence of nudity), while
providing information on the everyday life customs of the time (hairstyles,
dress and jewelry).
Khmer art history may be divided into three major
periods:
-
6th-8th
centuries: Pre-Angkorian era. Phnom Da (6th century), Sambor Prei
Kuk (7th century), Prei Khmeng and Kampong Preah (8th
century) style
-
9th-13th
centuries: Angkorian era. Kulen, Preah Ko (9th-early 10th
centuries), Koh Ker, Pre Rup, Banteay Srei, Khleang (10th century),
Baphuon (11th century), Angkor Vat (12th century) and
Bayon (13th century) style.
14th-early 18th centuries:
Post-Angkorian era. A transitional period, during which Brahmanism and Maháyána
Buddhism progressively giveway to Theraváda Buddhism, a religious school that,
viewed the Preah Neang Deví as the wives of the Bodhisattva; they will not be
included in the present document.
