The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Portable icon of Shakyamuni Buddha in the Earth-touching gesture

Portable icon of Shakyamuni Buddha in the Earth-touching gesture

late 1100s–early 1200s
Bronze
Overall: 42 x 18.5 x 3 cm (16 9/16 x 7 5/16 x 1 3/16 in.)
Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund 1964.93
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Bronze images such as this were used to transfer a sacred presence from one temple to another.

Description

The Buddha sits surrounded by a circle of flaming jewels and full-blown lotus petals. Two rearing serpents emblematic of the glory of the Khmer Empire emerge from either side of his lotus pedestal. The Buddha’s right hand points down in the earth-touching gesture, and his left hand holds a round object, probably a special rice offering that indicates the Buddha’s power to ensure ongoing prosperity of the land.

The branches of the pipal tree under which the Buddha reached enlightenment top the composition. Beneath his lotus pedestal, the earth goddess wrings the waters from her hair that wash away the army of Mara, the grimacing demons holding clubs and shields who flee to either side.
  • ?–1964
    (Peter Marks, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1964–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 242 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
    Woodward, Hiram. The Art and Architecture of Thailand: From Prehistoric Times through the Thirteenth Century. Leiden; Boston: BRILL, 2017. pp. 199-200
  • Beyond Angkor: Cambodian Sculpture from Banteay Chhmar. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 14, 2017-March 25, 2018).
    Year in Review (1964). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 8, 1964-January 31, 1965).
  • {{cite web|title=Portable icon of Shakyamuni Buddha in the Earth-touching gesture|url=false|author=|year=late 1100s–early 1200s|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1964.93