美国芝加哥美术馆典藏的一系列精美高棉雕塑,得益于詹姆斯和玛丽莲·阿尔斯德芙(James and Marilynn Alsdorf)伉俪高雅的审美鉴赏力。本文介绍其中部分藏品,并以此作为界定和讨论高棉美学的框架。文中使用的“高棉”一词,指代的是一种艺术风格。在这一层面上,它囊括了今柬埔寨、泰国、老挝和越南等四国的艺术品。其中,泰国的高棉艺术尤其独特,并以公元十一至十三世纪高棉帝 A series of exquisite Khmer sculptures in the Museum of Fine Arts in the United States have benefited from the elegant aesthetic appreciation of James and Marilynn Alsdorf. This article introduces some of these collections as a framework for defining and discussing Khmer aesthetics. The term “Khmer” used in the text refers to an artistic style. At this level, it includes the artworks of the four countries such as Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Among them, the Thai Khmer art is especially unique, with the Khmer Empire from the eleventh to the thirteenth centuries AD