This carved head was unearthed on 24 April 1941 in Building E, located in the south-western inner courtyard of the Preah Khan temple. On 16 September 1946, it was officially presented to Commander Jean Sarrat as a token of gratitude for services rendered. The gift was made by Jacques Lagisquet, then curator of the Angkor monuments group, with the approval of Georges Coedès, director of the École française d’Extrême-Orient.