Khmer Sandstone Sculpture Art

Timeline

1. c. 600–900Middle and lower Mekong River · CambodiaSandstone images and lingas excavated from Funan and early Chenla sites, influenced by Indian Gupta style, are simple and robust in form; craftsmen mastered sandstone quarrying and rough carving techniques, establishing religious themes and material traditions for later Khmer sculpture.
2. c. 900–1040Roluos and Angkor region · Siem Reap ProvinceFrom the late 9th to the 10th century Jayavarman II established his capital at Angkor; the Roluos group of temples and early Angkor temples made extensive use of sandstone-carved lintels, devata images, and narrative reliefs, with style shifting from stiff to lively, drapery and crown details increasingly elaborate, establishing the distinctive aesthetics of Khmer sculpture.
3. 1041–1050Angkor and temples throughout Cambodia · Siem Reap ProvinceIn the 1040s–1050s Suryavarman I expanded the Angkor palace and many temples; sandstone sculpture workshops were active, deity faces showed the prototype of the typical 'Khmer smile,' Vishnu, Shiva, and Buddhist images were placed side by side, narrative relief scenes grew longer, and both technique and scale reached new heights.