Apsarasas

Sikhoraphum
Angkor Wat style
Suryavarman II, 1113-1150

The apsarasas (heavenly dancers) shown here are purely Cambodian in style; they would not seem out of place on Angkor Wat itself. Typical features in this style include the dancers' costume; a lotus stem and flower held in one hand, while the other hand grasps the waist of the dress; parrots perched on the maidens' shoulders; and small animals (squirrels?) running up and down the surround. Also characteristic is the sideways view of the apsarasas' feet, whose upturned toes, a dance posture, appear in different perspective than the rest of the foot. Continuing the dance theme, the body sways, if not in tribhanga, at least in a modulated curve which starts at the ankles, proceeds through the knees, hip, and torso, and is finished by a final tilt of the head in the opposite direction to the pointing feet. In spite of these commonalities, the treatment of each figure is individual in body proportions, headdress, and face.