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Home , Ghanta, Vishnu

Objects from Ancient Cambodian Kingdoms

The Hindu The bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara In Jayavarman VII’s version of Dedicatory plaque Depicted are sixty-four figures of Hindu -- Approx. 1180–1220 , buddhahood was Approx. 600–800 . In the center of the top of the 1175–1225 , former kingdom of understood to arise from the melding Probably Cambodia plaque is an unusual composite of Cambodia; former kingdom of Angkor Bronze of and wisdom. The Gold alloy Vishnu and . Based on the ancient Bronze with traces of gilding and Gift of Dr. and Mrs. David Buchanan, deities representing these two Gift of the Shorenstein Fund, 1988.12 texts, the thirty-two figures along the gemstones 2006.50 qualities were associated with other three sides may represent the The Avery Brundage Collection, Jayavarman VII’s father and mother, It has been a common practice in constellations, which were supposed to B60B211 The bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara suggesting a parallel between their Southeast since ancient times to have a great influence, both good and embodies compassion for all living son and the Buddha. deposit a dedicatory plaque, together bad, on humankind. Figures of , Vishnu holds several of his standard beings. with small representations of , the -headed , are depicted identifying attributes—the war discus, flowers, and mystical animals, in the at the four corners. In the center is a shell, and club. The rulers of the ancient Cambodian foundation of a religious structure. full-blossoming lotus flower. kingdom of Angkor usually worshiped Scholars, particularly those from the or Vishnu. The arrangement of figures and motifs Cambodia’s former colonial ruler For a time under King Jayavarman on this plaque reflects the ideal France, worked out the chronology VII, however, complicated forms of organization of a based of Cambodian so that a Mahayana Buddhism were favored. on ancient religious texts. Placed in statue like this can usually be dated The central of deities was made the foundation of a temple, the plaque fairly accurately by the details of up of a -enthroned Buddha Triad of Avalokiteshvara, serpent- symbolically transforms ordinary space clothing and jewelry. Today Cambodian flanked by Avalokiteshvara and a enthroned Buddha, and the into sacred space. Here, the function of archaeologists and other scholars work goddess representing transcendental of transcendent wisdom from the the plaque is enhanced by its precious actively with international teams to wisdom. This image probably came period of King Jayavarman VII. material and the fact that gold, because extend our knowledge. from such a triad. National Museum of Cambodia. it does not tarnish, seems unchanging and eternal.

PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE FROM THE GALLERY Objects from Mainland , 600–1300

Lotus-shaped bowl Ritual 1230–1231 Approx. 1100–1200 Cambodia or Cambodia or northeastern Thailand; Gold and silver alloy former kingdom of Angkor Gift of the Connoisseurs’ Council, Bronze 1990.201 Gift of Diana K. Chase, 2000.24.a-.b

This bowl raises intriguing questions. On the middle prong of the handle of this bell is shown the Hindu deity Shiva An inscription in ancient Cambodian riding his bull, , and carrying a engraved on the exterior indicates that trident, one of his symbols. the bowl was a gift of a king called Tribhuvanadityavarman, probably to Below him is his son, the elephant- an image of a deity. A date equivalent headed Ganesha. (On the other side to 1230–1231 is given, but there is no of the handle are shown another deity other record of a king with this name in riding what appears to be a , and this period. Perhaps he ruled a small, beneath, a figure that might be Shiva’s and as yet unidentified, realm that did other son, Skanda.) not last long.

The bowl is in the form of a lotus with eight petals. Adorning the bottom of the interior of the bowl is a lotus- shaped rosette surrounded by eight smaller rosettes.

PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE FROM THE GALLERY Objects from Bagan (Pagan) and elsewhere in (Burma)

Reliquary Relief of standing Buddha Seated Buddha Relief of standing Buddha Perhaps 800–900 Approx. 1100–1250 Approx. 1000 Approx. 1100–1250 Myanmar (Burma) Myanmar (Burma); probably Bago Myanmar (Burma) Myanmar (Burma); Bago (Pegu) area Bronze with lacquer and gilding (Pegu) area Lead-tin alloy with traces of gilding Gold repoussé Gift of Jane R. Lurie, 1989.28 Gold repoussé Gift of Jeffrey Novick, 1989.45 Gift of Mr. Johnson S. Bogart, 2005.90 Gift of Dr. and Mrs. David Buchanan, Portable reliquaries such as this 2005.89 The facial features of this image were commonly used throughout the from Myanmar (Burma)—its broad Buddhist world as containers for relics forehead, cheekbones, and mouth, of the Buddha, monks, or high-ranking and its eyebrows connecting over the persons, as well as for sacred objects nose—resemble those of such as religious texts. This reliquary associated with the Mon kingdom of is in the shape of a stupa (a mound Hariphunchai in north central Thailand. built to enclose relics, texts, or other The Mons are an ethnic group speaking sacred items), and may well have been a language related not to Burmese or deposited within an actual stupa. (Other Thai but to Cambodian. Historically, they stupa-shaped reliquaries are on view in seem to have lived in parts of central Gallery 1, to 600) mainland Southeast Asia, particularly southern Myanmar and adjacent areas of Thailand. Mon speakers still live in some of these areas.

PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE FROM THE GALLERY Tablets

Votive tablet with seated Buddha Votive tablet with seated Buddha Votive tablet with six scenes of the Votive tablet with seated Buddha Approx. 700–1000 flanked by the disciples Shariputra life of the Buddha flanked by standing Buddhas Myanmar (Burma); probably Hmawza and Maudgalyayana Approx. 1200 Approx. 1050–1100 Earthenware Approx. 1100 Myanmar (Burma); former kingdom of Myanmar (Burma); former kingdom of Gift in honor of Leath and Heather Myanmar (Burma); former kingdom of Bagan (Pagan) Bagan (Pagan) Castile, 1989.5.3 Bagan (Pagan) Earthenware Earthenware Earthenware Gift of Haskia Hasson, 1988.62 The Avery Brundage Collection, Gift of the Collection of Gursharan and B62P68 Elvira Sidhu, 1990.233

PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE FROM THE GALLERY Buddhist Bronzes from “Many kings in the islands of the Southern Ocean admire and believe Buddhism. In the Lidded jar Lidded jar Head of Shiva, from a linga cover city I visited, Buddhist priests Seated Buddha 1000–1200 Approx. 1100–1300 Approx. 800 number more than 1,000, Approx. 800–900 Northern Northern Vietnam Central or southern Vietnam; former whose minds are bent on Indonesia; Central Stoneware with colored glazes Stoneware with incised decoration kingdoms of Bronze The Avery Brundage Collection, under glaze Gold and silver alloy with gold, glass, learning and good practices.”* Gift of LEF Foundation, 1988.21 B62P53 The Avery Brundage Collection, B61P15+ and ebony Gift of the Christensen Fund, BL77B1 So reported a Chinese Buddhist Traveling monks carried ideas, as well By the time these jars were made monk when he stopped at the as texts and probably small artworks, Vietnam had thrown off the Chinese The Hindu deity Shiva was sometimes Indonesian island of Sumatra in between , Southeast Asia, and political domination of earlier represented in human form, and the 680s on his way home from China. Certain symbols, motifs, and centuries and was ruled by local sometimes as a cylindrical phallic visiting India’s holy sites. trends in artistic style show up all dynasties. The Vietnamese created emblem called a linga. A linga was around the Buddhist world, having vigorous and tactile ceramic wares usually a sort of stone pillar, sometimes been transmitted by pious travelers. For like these large jars, of a character with a detachable metal covering. For the next five hundred years instance, the Buddha is usually shown quite distinct from Chinese ceramics. This head would originally have been Buddhism, in its Mahayana seated cross-legged. However, in the Potters experimented freely, drawing attached to such a covering, and would and traditions, period from the 400s through the inspiration from a variety of sources. have given the linga the appearance of flourished in parts of Indonesia, 800s, images like this one, showing having a head on one side. (A stone particularly the island of Java. In him seated on a throne, with his legs The shape of the bottom jar, with linga with one head can be seen in fact, Java produced, particularly downward, were produced from India lobes outlined by rounded rectangular Gallery 1.) in the 800s, some of the to Japan and at many Buddhist sites frames, and raised decoration of lotus most complex, ambitious, and in-between. petals strongly suggests a metalwork Champa, in what is today central and prototype. These forms may derive from southern coastal Vietnam, seems to beautiful Buddhist monuments The exact identity of buddhas seated the gold- and silverwork of Vietnam’s have been made up of a number of of all time. Despite the fact that in this way is sometimes not clear. In southern neighbor, the Hindu-Buddhist territories not always connected by the majority of the Indonesian East Asia they are often identified as territory of Champa. The jar’s feet are land but within easy travel along the population is Muslim today, the buddha of the future, Maitreya. In in the form of crouching human figures. coast by sea. The people of Champa Borobudur remains a popular Indonesia, some evidence suggests that were related to the peoples of the tourist destination and a marker they often represent a supreme buddha Indonesian Islands; in both regions of cultural pride. like Vairochana. political affiliations were sometimes formed along the coasts, suggesting *Adapted from J. Takakusu’s 1896 This image resembles, in its posture the importance of travel and translation of A Record of the Buddhist and proportions, a famous, larger-than- communication by boat. Religion as Practised in India and the life-sized statue in the ninth-century PLEASE DO NOT Malay Archipelago by the monk Yijing. Javanese Buddhist temple of REMOVE FROM Mendut. THE GALLERY The bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara The Buddhist deities Seated Buddha, Ritual object () Ritual bell with vajra handle Approx. 600–800 Avalokiteshvara and Vasundhara probably Vairochana Approx. 800–900 900–1500 Indonesia; Sumatra Approx. 850–950 Approx. 900–1100 Indonesia; Indonesia; East Java Leaded bronze Indonesia; Java Indonesia; Java or Sumatra Bronze Bronze The Avery Brundage Collection, B65B58 Silver and bronze Bronze Gift of Walter Jared Frost, 1990.5.2 Museum purchase, 1991.17 Gift of the Walter and Phyllis Museum purchase, 1991.5 From the 600s until at least the 1000s, Shorenstein Fund, B86B1 In Tantric Buddhism the thunderbolt the eastern coastal areas of Sumatra, The hand position of this figure is rare in (vajra) symbolizes the “skillful means” peninsular Malaysia, peninsular Thailand, The bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara can be Southeast Asian Buddhist art. In Korea that can be helpful on the path to and nearby areas made up a powerful recognized by the tiny seated Buddha and Japan this position, with the right enlightenment, and the bell () trading kingdom—or confederation at the front of his hairdress. The female hand wrapped around the forefinger of symbolizes transcendent wisdom. The of principalities—known as Srivijaya. deity next to him is holding in her left the left, identifies a figure as Vairochana, union of skillful means and transcendent Srivijaya derived its power and wealth hand a stalk of grain, and, if this is rice, the supreme central buddha of wisdom leads to the achievement of from its control of the sea lanes through it may identify her as Vasundhara. some schools of Buddhism. Another enlightenment. The practitioner, usually which traders carried goods back and Indonesian bronze with the same a trained monk, holds the vajra in the forth from Arabia, Persia, and India hand position as this one is inscribed right hand and the bell in the left hand through Southeast Asia to China. with the name of Vairochana, so the during rituals. identification here seems firm. This bronze statue is in a style Other Buddhist ritual thunderbolts or associated with Srivijayan art in Sumatra. can be seen nearby in this gallery; However, very similar bronze statuettes in Gallery 12, The Himalayas and the have been found in peninsular Thailand Tibetan Buddhist World; and in and Malaysia. Because their size would Gallery 26, Japanese Buddhist Art. have made them easy to carry, it is not These implements are also represented certain where they were made. in sculptures and paintings throughout the museum. To India Angkor To China

Sumatra Borneo Jambi Palembang

Trade Route Java To the PLEASE DO NOT Core of Srivijaya Spice Srivijayan Vassal States Islands REMOVE FROM THE GALLERY Srivijaya around 9th–11th centuries.