A bronze figure of Prajnaparamita

KHMER, ANGKOR PERIOD, BAYON STYLE, LATE 12TH/EARLY 13TH CENTURY

Details

A bronze figure of Prajnaparamita
Khmer, Angkor period, Bayon style, late 12th/early 13th century
Standing on a round base with her eighteen arms outstretched and ten heads stacked, wearing a sampot with fishtail pleating in front secured by an elaborate belt
8½ in. (21.5 cm.) high

Provenance

The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Chicago, acquired before 1983

Literature

Pratapaditya Pal, A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, 1997, p. 206 and 334, cat. no. 271

Exhibited

On loan to Art Institute of Chicago since 1983

Lot Essay

Prajnaparamita is the personification of the wisdom text carried by Manjushri, in keeping with Buddhist philosophy that wisdom is represented by the female. With her multiple heads and arms, she echoes Avalokiteshvara's cosmic form and is often found with him next to the Buddha.

More from The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection

View All