2-723-054 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Apsara Bracket, 900s. This celestial being is a resident of heaven, ornamented as a goddess with tiered crown, heavy earrings, and broad necklace. She reverently proffers an offering, possibly a lotus bud. This figure would have been part of the embellishment of a Cham temple. Her bust emerges from an architectural element that may have formed the end of a balustrade or ceiling bracket. The light-coloured spots are due to lichen and other organic growths that have hardened over time, the result of outdoor weathering.