Khmer: Art

Art

This civilization was established in Southeast Asia in 802 - 1431 CE. Below is a map of the Khmer's total land mass, which consisted of modern-day Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and part of Laos.

1. BRONZE BUDDHIST TRIAD

      This sculpture unifies both Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism traditional art. In Mahayana, the presence of both a female divinity (Prajnaparamita), and a male divinity (Avalokitesvara). As a whole, they are referred to as Lokesvara. They stand alongside the Buddha in the center, who is shieled by the Naga. The ornaments of these divinities (earrings, anklets, etc.) are all similar, showing the unity of these sects of Buddhism which the Khmer practiced.

2. CERAMIC ELEPHANT VESSEL

    Since the Khmer people mirrored their everyday utensils after their everyday surroundings, it is no surprise that this lime bowl is sculpted as an elephant. This piece shows great ability to manipulate the ceramics and that they could domesticate the elephants (the carpet on the elephants back and the beading/jewels on it's forehead).

3. STONE DEVI

        It is not possible to claim that this stone Devi was the spouse of a Hindu god, as she has no specific attributes. Rather, we can look at her body shape, and how it resembles a typical Cambodian woman. This Devi is from the middle of the 7th century, dating it to the reign of Isanavarman. Imposing the question on whether or not this is his wife (Khmer people worshipped the gods and their spouses, could it be possible this went for rulers as well?). She wears a traditional skirt of Cambodian women, a sampot.

4. BRONZE STANDING ADORNED BUDDHA

     As stated before, the Khmer people had two different sects of Buddhism. There was the Hinayana who believed in a single Buddha, the Bodhisattva, and Mahayana, who believed in many Bodhisattva who had not yet reached Enlightenment. This is believed to be a Hinayana statue, due to his enlightened stance, and gold color.

 

5. BRONZE STANDING BUDDHA

     This Buddha sculpture is of the Sambhokaya style, a Khmer way of art that is usually associated with unadorned Buddhas. Characteristics of Sambhokaya style are a protruded forehead, a tuft of hair between the eyebrows, long earlobes, curly hair, cakras (discs) on the palm and ankles. This Khmer artist shows the Buddha's luminosity through the transparent robes.

6. BRONZE RECLINING VISNU

    This statue was made when the Khmer's bronze production was at it's peak, in the 10th century. It is from this period that numerous monumental statues such as this one are found. This statue shows the Hindu god Visnu. Helen I. Jessup (Some historian who thinks she's better than me) is quoted: "The god reclined on the serpent Ananta (without end), who was floating on the ocean during one of the cosmic intervals or kalpa ... According to Vedic myth, Visnu, Ananta, and ocean are all aspects of the same reality, parts of the primordial waters where gods give rise to the universe." In Hinduism, Visnu is the preserver of the earth, which is why the Khmer king had this sculpture so largely made, in order to protect the city of Angkor.

7. CERAMIC JAR WITH WIDE FLARED LIP AND PEDESTAL FOOT

8.  CERAMIC OVAL VESSEL

9. CERAMIC VESSEL FOR PRAHOK 

       (FERMENTING FISH)

10. STONE JAYAVARMAN VII