Antique Khmer Style Bronze Banteay Srei Seated Bodhisattva Lokeshvara Statue - 42cm/17"

Antique Khmer Style Bronze Banteay Srei Seated Bodhisattva Lokeshvara Statue - 42cm/17"

Measures (Height) 42cm/17"

An antique Khmer style four arm Lokeshvara statue in the Banteay Srei style. Lokeshvara is the bodhisattva of compassion (Avalokitesvara) in his role as the lord of the six realms of existence (hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, demigods, and gods).

Seated on a simple pedestal, with his arms radiating around him and clad in a short sampot with classic Banteay Srei style pleats. The face with wide features surmounted by a cylindrical headdress adorned with a meditating Amitabha Buddha.

This superb sculpture of the saviour Avalokitesvara bears eloquent witness to the importance of the Mahayana Buddhist cult of the bodhisattva in pre-Angkorian Cambodia. It signals a taste for large devotional sculptures, undoubtedly installed in well-endowed temples where they would have served as important cult icons. The sensitively modelled and incised facial rendering and the distinctive braided crown of matted hair (jatamukuta) links this sculpture to other tenth-century style figures.

In his hands he holds a lotus bud, sutra (holy text), chakra and Kalasha. His softly contoured face with indigenous characteristics has a serene downcast expression, with heavy-lidded eyes, arched eyebrows carved in relief meet in the middle above a well-shaped broad nose, and wide lips with a serene smile are framed by a second incised line. and beauty lines upon his neck.

The ornate carving of the diadem provides a delightful contrast with the smooth facial features. His head is cast in traditional Banteay Srei style, enhanced by a conical two tier chignon-cover that surmounts the head and is surrounded by a diadem tied in the back with a bow knot, typical of the Banteay Srei period

Lokeshvara is unadorned and presumably was honoured with real jewellery during feast days and ceremonies. The Lokeshvara embodies authority with its iconic downcast gaze and large unexpressive face. The general silhouette is heavier. Each detail is rendered perfectly.

The features suggest the prana, or inner breath, that signifies superhuman power. As with images from this period, the ornamentation reflects a perfect mastery of sculpting and fluidity. Facial features of the statue reflect the delicate characteristics of the Banteay Srei style.

A beautiful and sublime sculpture of Lokeshvara. 

This traditional in appearance piece is sure to add a unique touch to any room of your home or workplace.

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