Khmer. Ca. 10th c. Bronze with reddish and green patina. Four arms, standing on a square base plate. The hair put up elegantly and adorned with jewels, the ears with large earrings. At the hips a sampot from a sheer fine fabric and secured with a belt.
The jewel-like temple of Banteay Srei, some 40 kilometers north of Angkor Thom was, unlike most other temples in Angkor, not a royal foundation. A consecration inscription, dated 967/968, credits Yajnyavaraha, a Brahmin and royal guru to the future King Jayavarman V, with its construction. Only a handful of bronzes can firmly be attributed to this style which is considered to be one of the most refined of Angkorian sculpture; less than twenty stone sculptures of this style are published. The fragmentary Bodhisattva Lokeshvara from Tuol Chi Thep, now in the Musée Guimet, Paris (see literature), is arguably one of the finest stone sculptures of the Banteay Srei period.
This remarkable bronze sculpture, depicting the Bodhisattva Lokeshvara, is closely related to the Tuol Chi Thep image. The sculpture is exquisitely modeled, with a sense of sublime realism that is the magic of Banteay Srei works. The volumes of the muscular body are well balanced and the powerful chest seems to be filled with the dynamic energy of the inner prana. Separately modeled attributes, possibly in precious metal, and now lost, were fitted into the four hands. The coiffure is a typical 10th century style jatamukuta, which originally probably included a tiny seated Amithaba Buddha.
Its sculptural finesse and rarity make this delightful bronze Lokeshvara an important addition to the small body of known Banteay Srei style sculptures. Height 37.7cm. Condition A/B. Supplement: On a base. Fitting storage box.
Provenance: -Private collection Hong Kong. -Art Loss Register certificate ref. S00029010.
Literature: -Baptiste, Pierre., and Zéphir, Thierry, L'Art khmer dans les collections du Musée Guimet. Paris 2008. Compare fig. 48, p.166-170.