These two standing female sculptures in the collection of the Angkor National Museum pose a dilemma

Sculpture from the Angkor National Museum: These two standing female sculptures in the collection of the Angkor National Museum pose a dilemma. They are labelled as Female Divinities, which is a generic term used when the actual identity of the statue is not known or confirmed. The question that hangs in the air is, are these two images those of the incredibly popular goddess known as Prajnaparamita – the embodiment of perfect wisdom - who became a cult figure during the reign of King Jayavarman VII towards the end of the 12th century. A number of beautifully carved life-size sandstone sculptures, both standing or kneeling, have been discovered and scholars believe that these images are of the king’s first and greatly loved wife, Jayarajadevi, who was known for her innumerable good deeds and her generosity. The king’s second wife, her older sister Indradevi, erected images of her as a homage, in major cities of the Khmer Empire, and sculptures in the National Museum in Phnom Penh, the Guimet Museum in Paris and the Angkor National Museum are a testament to that. A tell-tale feature of Prajnaparamita is a small Amitabha Buddha carved into the conical headdress, which is missing from the exhibit shown here. Another way to identify the goddess would be the attributes she holds in her hands, which would be a book and an unopened lotus bud, unfortunately both arms and hands are missing. Hence the question, is the sculpture a representation of Prajnaparamita, or are we left only with the common honorific of Female Divinity? The face of our image is meditative and serene, eyes are closed, the mouth is wide and unsmiling, while the braided hair has a chignon cover of lotus petals. Her skirt, with a jeweled belt, depicts florets and a long, incurved, triangular fishtail panel, and her slender body has remarkably large feet. The statue was discovered at the temple of Banteay Chhmar, in Northwest Cambodia, by George Groslier and arrived at the National Museum in February 1935. It was loaned to the Angkor National Museum for its opening in 2007. The most obvious feature of our second figure is that she is missing her head. Again, that makes identification very difficult but not impossible, especially as she has retained her hands and attributes. The styling of the sampot is very similar to our first image, with a belted skirt with floret decoration and a long fishtail front panel. Her body too, is very thin while her feet are more natural, but it’s the attributes she’s holding in her hands that give us a clue to her identity. They are two unopened lotus buds and another statue (from the temple of Preah Ko) at the National Museum in Phnom Penh, with identical attributes, has been designated as Lakshmi, the wife of the god Vishnu, albeit with a face resembling our first image, that of Prajnaparamita. It’s a conundrum. Both statues date to the Bayon-era of the late 12th, early 13th century and our second image was found in the northern gopura at the temple of Pre Rup during clearance work by Henri Marchal in 1935. It was transferred to Angkor Conservation where both arms were reattached. The temple-mountain of Pre Rup dates back to the tenth century and was dedicated to Shiva, so this sculpture was clearly a later addition during the reign of Jayavarman VII.