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HOME :
Asian Art :
Art of Cambodia : Stone Head of a Buddha
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Stone Head of a Buddha - SP.607
Origin: Cambodia
Circa: 1150
AD
to 1350
AD
Dimensions:
7" (17.8cm) high
Collection: Buddhist Art
Medium: Stone
$7,500.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
The golden age of Cambodian culture was
developed the kingdom of Angkor, a powerful
and prosperous empire that flourished in
northwestern Cambodia. The Angkor kingdom
was historically Southeast Asia's largest
contiguous empire controlled much territory in
what is now Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Many
temples from this period, like the Bayon and
Angkor Wat are left as a reminder of the
grandeur of Khmer arts and culture. Angkor's
unparalleled achievements in art, architectures,
music, and dance during this period greatly
influence and inspired many kingdoms in
Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos.
The Khmer civilization, today embodied by the
temples and ruins of Angkor, one of mankind's
most astonishing and enduring architectural
achievements and the largest religious
monument in the world, flourished from 802-
1431 A.D. From the great citadel of Angkor, the
kings of the Khmer empire ruled over a vast
domain that reached from what is now southern
Vietnam to Yunan, China and from Vietnam
westward to the Bay of Bengal. The original city
was built around the Phnom Bakeng, a temple on
a hill symbolizing the mountain that stands in
the center of the world according to Hindu
cosmology. Successive kings enlarged the city,
building other temples devoted to various Hindu
deities and large reservoirs used for irrigation,
which also symbolized the ocean surrounding
the holy central mountain. The most celebrated
of the Angkor temple complexes is Angkor Wat,
constructed under King Suryavarman II (reigned
1113-1150).
The Buddhist religion spread throughout the east
and nowhere is the artistic rendering of this
spiritual religion more expressive than in the
12th and 13th century Khmer culture of
Cambodia.
This head of a Buddha illustrates the unique
artistic craftsmanship of the Khmer. It is boldly
expressive in form yet delicate in its sensibility.
Graceful and powerful at once, the combined
images of Buddha capture both the aesthetic and
spiritual elements of our very soul.
- (SP.607)
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