Dancing Apsara

This relief sculpture of a dancing female deity was created during the last major phase of the Khmer civilization, which flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries in the area of modern Cambodia, Laos, and much of Thailand. A powerful and sophisticated civilization, the Khmer empire erected some of the largest and most spectacular temple complexes in world history, including Angkor Wat and the Bayon. This relief may once have decorated one of the many smaller temples built throughout their territory. This figure is an apsara, a type of beautiful female spirit known for grace and elegance who serves and entertains the gods in Hindu and Buddhist texts. Although the specific origin of this sculpture is unknown, the style of the figure and her triple-pointed headdress suggest a date of the late 12th to 13th centuries, during the last great Khmer building campaigns of King Jayavarman VII and his successors.

The AMAM acquired this work in 1948 from the prominent art dealer C.T. Loo (Lú Qínzhāi 盧芹齋, 1880–1957), during a time when many historical works were removed from their original cultures and contexts to end up in museums in the West, a practice that today inspires questions and debates about cultural property. The AMAM acknowledges the problematic history of this work and is committed to open dialogue about its proper display and care.