Antique Stone Carving Cambodian Deity in Som Pas Posture / Yaowarat Antique Shop

฿ 43,200.00

This beautiful antique image of a god or goddess is carved in stone with excellent handiwork skills. The commanding bulging eyes gaze and smiling face expression in the Som Pas Khmer greeting posture will easily draws the viewer into her orbit of aloofness and beauty. These somewhat enigmatic qualities reflect the power of great Angkorian art.

This traditional in appearance piece is sure to add serenity to your home, office or sacred space! It will enlighten and charm your home with endlessly timeless style.

Size : 21 x 8 x 33 cm

Weight : approx 5 kg

Material : Sandstone

Condition : This antique item has no defects, but it may show the imperfections that correlate with age and use.

Yaowarat Antique Shop is located in Yaowarat Street known as the old town of Bangkok. The shop has been open for almost 30 years and offers thousands of pieces of unique oriented antiques. This is a must-see for anyone interested in Thai antiques when visiting Bangkok!

1 in stock

SKU: SPTH2205C2B002-029 Category: Tag:
 

Description

About the statue

This beautiful antique image of a god or goddess is carved in stone with excellent handiwork skills. The commanding bulging eyes gaze and smiling face expression in the Som Pas Khmer greeting posture will easily draws the viewer into her orbit of aloofness and beauty. These somewhat enigmatic qualities reflect the power of great Angkorian art.

This traditional in appearance piece is sure to add serenity to your home, office or sacred space! It will enlighten and charm your home with endlessly timeless style.

Get to know traditional Khmer greeting ‘Som Pas’

Cambodians traditionally greet each other with palms together, in a manner of prayer. They lift up their hands to the chest level and bow slightly. This is called Som Pas. In general, the higher the hands and lower the bow, the more respect is being shown.

When meeting, Cambodians will Som Pas and say Choum Reap Sur (Hello). When departing, again they will Som Pas and say Choum Reap Lir (Goodbye). Cambodians use Som Pas for greeting and to display respect. When used for greeting, it would be impolite not to return a Som Pas; it is tantamount to rejecting an offered handshake in Western culture.

“Som pas and Wai”  the greeting influenced by Indian culture

Both Som Pas (Cambodian greeting) and Wai (Thai greeting) are exactly similar to each other as we can see they totally look the same. They consist of a slight bow, with the palms pressed together in a prayer-like fashion. They both have their origin in the Indian like the Indian namaste. The higher the hands are held in relation to the face and the lower the bow, the more respect or reverence the giver of the wai.

Get to know their origins

The Wai and Som Pas gesture originated in Buddhism and has similar origins as namaste in Hinduism. It was basically a yogic posture of the palms and signifies the equal meeting of the two palms. It means that the other party is treated as an equal human being. This posture has been applied by many indian influenced country, mostly around Asia such as Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, China etc. Until now a day, even the western culture has been spread all over the world but Asian people still skeep their traditional greeting way.

Introducing Khmer stone carving

For many thousands of years, the art of stone carving has flourished in Cambodia. From the small statues made by local artisans to the famous, breathtaking carvings found at Angkor Wat, stone carving has become one of the country’s most cherished art forms. Stone carving has been both a passion and a livelihood for many a Cambodian sculptor and has, in recent decades, survived war, genocide (in which many of the country’s artists were murdered by the Khmer Rouge), and tyranny to be passed on to a whole new generation of artists.

The art of stone carving in Cambodia is one that has a very long, fascinating history which goes back to the foundation of the Khmer nation.

The Beginnings of Khmer Stone Sculpture

The art of stone carving in Cambodia has roots that predate the foundation of the Angkor kingdom by many centuries. Some of Cambodia’s oldest known stone sculptures were made in the Funan kingdom (located in the modern-day south of the country), which existed in the 1st or 2nd century AD until the 6th century AD, as well as in the pre-Angkor kingdom of Chenla.

During this period of time Cambodia was exposed to a heavy amount of Indian culture due to the opening of trade routes between the Middle East and China which passed through the kingdom. This influence came primarily in the Sanskrit language, which was used in inscriptions, and in the Hindu and Buddhist faiths.

Both Hindu and Buddhist-themed sculptures from this period of time had a strong Indian influence in their delicately-carved and detailed body features, a princely disposition that still manages to remain benevolent, and body postures that feature a slight hip sway. Also, both Hindu and Buddhist sculptures were placed around temples and were often created for this purpose

Buddha Sculpture with Khmer Style

Vishnu Sculpture influenced by Indian culture

‘Angkor Wat’ the greatest architecture of stone carving!

Angkor Wat, one of the world’s most magnificent religious sites and Cambodia’s national treasure, was built in the 12th century AD during the reign of Suryavarman II (1113?-about 1145 AD). Angkor Wat features some of the most magnificent and famous stone carvings and murals found in Cambodia.

Built at first as a Hindu temple, Angkor Wat became a Buddhist temple over time. Statues of both Vishnu and the Buddha can be found across much of the temple complex. However, much of the temple’s fame stems from the murals that can be found on the inner walls of the outer gallery. Intricately carved murals of scenes from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata as well as of Suryavarman II can be found on these walls.

Yaowarat Antique : The Antique shop

“Yaowarat Antique” located in Yaowarat Street known as the old town of Bangkok has been open for over 30 years. Started by the family of “Danvirunhavanich”. By having a passion for collecting little antique items such as old stamps, and antique toys into Benjarong or Porcelain plates. Then Mr.Danvirunhavanich began to open his own antique shop which at first named “Chiva sart” meaning “The lesson of life”. After the retirement of Mr.Danvirunhavanich, “Tee” known as “Tee Yaowarat” : son of Mr.Danvirunhavanich has taken over to take care of this antique shop. Yaowarat Antique Shop is a popular-oriented antique store among Bangkokian people. Many of their antiques have a unique southeast Asian and Thai style. For those who love Asian antiques, once you come to Bangkok, it’s a must to visit this place!

Additional information

Weight 5 kg
Dimensions 8 × 21 × 33 cm

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