The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 28, 2024

Head of Lokeshvara

Head of Lokeshvara

late 1100s–early 1200s
Location: not on view

Description

At Banteay Chhmar, none of the three-dimensional stone sculptures that were installed in the temple buildings remain standing. Only fragments of five stone sculptures of Lokeshvara have been found, and more may be recovered with future clearing of the site.

This head is stylistically similar to the ones from Banteay Chhmar and is of the type made throughout Cambodia during the reign of Jayavarman VII. Lokeshvara was the form under which his father was apotheosized and venerated.

Traces of black lacquer on the stone’s surface remain from when the head was probably refashioned into another image, likely reused for other Buddhist groups who became influential in the post-Angkorian period whose main focus was the historical Buddha rather than Lokeshvara. The lacquer, however, preserved the stone carving beneath, and it shows how the face of the bas-relief of the ten-armed Lokeshvara from Banteay Chhmar would have looked, had it not become eroded by exposure to the elements. The downcast eyes have a compassionate and meditative gaze, while the mouth smiles gently in the confidence of the power of his mercy. The small figure of a seated Buddha in front of the topknot of hair confirms his identity as Lokeshvara.
  • ?–1955
    (Paul Mallon [1884–1975], New York, NY, and Paris, France, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1955–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 789 archive.org
    Marcus, Margaret F. “Buddha Sheltered by Mucalinda.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 52, no. 7 (September 1965): 185–93. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 192, fig. 11
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 243 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 242 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 319 archive.org
  • {{cite web|title=Head of Lokeshvara|url=false|author=|year=late 1100s–early 1200s|access-date=28 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1955.47