After the death of a Majapahit king or queen, a commemorative temple or shrine was built and furnished with royal memorial portraits. Rather than portray the physical likeness of the ruler, such portraits would depict the king or queen in the guise of a deity, to reflect that after death they had become one with the god. Among the various Hindu deities represented were Siva, his consort Parvati, or sometimes a joint portrait of king and queen together as Ardhanari, the half-male/half-female composite of Siva and Parvati. At shrines that combined Hindu and Buddhist deities, a princess or queen might be shown in the form of the Buddhist goddess of transcendent wisdom, Prajnaparamita.

The serene expression and exquisite crown and jewelry of this head are features common to many royal and divine figures. The statue’s body would have confirmed gender and, together with the gestures and attributes of arms and hands, would have enabled identification of the particular deity.