A SANDSTONE FIGURE OF VISHNU, PRE-ANGKOR PERIOD Khmer Empire, 7th-8th century. The face meditative and smiling serenely, the almond-shaped eyes with finely incised pupils, wearing a cylindrical mitre headdress as well as a diaphanous sampot with a long central sash hanging down between his legs. Provenance: Collection Particulière Française, acquired at the beginning of the 1970s, thence by descent in the same family. Beaussant Lefèvre, Drouot, Paris, 10 April 2015. A French private collection, acquired from the above. A letter from Cabinet Portier, dated 22 April 2015, confirming the provenance and dating as stated above, accompanies this lot. Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age, extensive wear and losses, nicks and scratches, signs of erosion. Note that Cabinet Portier (see Provenance) states the head was reattached, but after inspecting the lot under strong blue light, we were unable to confirm this finding. Weight: 19.3 kg Dimensions: Height 67.5 cm Mounted on an associated metal base. (2) Literature comparison: For a related image, attributed to the Mekong Delta, see Emma Bunker and Douglas Latchford, Adoration and Glory: The Golden Age of Khmer Art, Chicago 2004, pl. 10. Auction result comparison: Compare with a closely related figure of Vishnu, of related size but better preserved, at Bonhams London in Islamic and Indian Art on 4 October 2011, lot 249, sold for GBP 20,000.