Champa, 10th-12th century. The head displaying the classic iconography of Shiva, the central deity of the Cham people, with long earlobes and piled up locks of hair. The face showing a fine, calm expression with almondshaped eyes, one uninterrupted bow-shaped eyebrow below the third eye, a broad nose, an elegantly curved mustache, and thick lips forming a subtle smile. Gold and silver Shiva heads such as this one once belonged to mukhalingas but were often separated due to the weak riveting used to fix the heads to the linga bodies. Provenance: Ex-Collection of The Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum. Institutional art collection in Belgium, acquired from the above. Condition: Very good condition with minor traces of age and wear. Weight: 260.2 g Dimensions: Height 17.2 cm Published: The Zelnik Istvan Southeast Asian Gold Museum, page 174, Budapest 2013.