Colossal Head of a Deva, c. 1200, Cambodia, Angkor, Preah Khan. Sandstone. Overall: 71.3 x 50 x 47 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Maxeen and John Flower in honor of Dr. Stanislaw Czuma 2011.147.

This head is from one of the gods (devas in Sanskrit) who, according to Hindu myth, churned the primordial Ocean of Milk to extract the nectar of immortality. Using a mountain as a churning rod and a serpent as the rope, the gods on one side and the demons on the other vied to win the nectar. The gods prevailed and achieved immortality.

The deity’s conical tiara consists of a diadem with floral decoration and is topped by a five-tiered lotus narrowing upward.