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16. Buddha Sakyamuni on Mucilinda, Cambodia, Khmer Bayon 12th c. sandstone height 101,5 cm. |
When Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha Sakyamuni, had been meditating under the Bodhi tree for four weeks the heavens darkened for seven days and a prodigious rain fell. Mucilinda, the mighty king of serpents, emerged from beneath the earth and raised his hood over the meditating Sakyamuni to protect him from the pouring waters. When the storm abated Mucilinda assumed his human form, bowed before the Buddha, and returned in joy to his palace. Buddha sits in virasana on the coils of the seven-headed Mucilinda, whose hood fans out behind and above the Buddha to protect him. He is dressed in a monk’s robe with his right shoulder and arm uncovered and has elongated earlobes reflecting his royal origins. A shawl is draped over his left shoulder and a curl-covered ushnisa rises from the crown of his head. Buddha’s hands are in samadhimudra, the pose of meditation, and a lotus bud lies in his palm. Lotus petals are also incorporated in his hair, symbolizing purity and spiritual elevation. The dharmachacra, or wheel of the Buddhist doctrine, is depicted on the back of the sculpture. Jayavarman VII (ca 1125 - 1215) was an important Cambodian king of the Khmer Empire. He married Jayarajadevi and after her death, he wed her sister Indradevi. The two women are commonly thought to have been a great inspiration to him, particularly in his unusual devotion to Buddhism. In 1177 the Cham invaded Cambodia, launching a surprise attack on the Khmer capital by sailing a fleet up the Mekong River, across Lake Tonle Sap, and then up the Siem Reap River. The invaders pillaged the capital, Yasodharapura, and put the king to death. Jayavarman came into historical prominence by leading a Khmer army that ousted the invaders and in 1181 was crowned king himself. Over the thirty-some years of his reign, Jayavarman embarked on a grand building program that included both public works and monuments. As a Mahayana Buddhist, his declared aim was to alleviate the suffering of his people. He focused on useful constructions, such as hospitals, houses along the roads, and reservoirs. In addition he built a large number of temples, two in honor of his parents: ‘Ta Prohm’ for his mother and ‘Preah Khan’ for his father. Finally, he constructed his own ‘temple-mountain‘ at Bayon and developed the city of Angkor Thom around it. This Buddha seated on the Naga Mucilinda has all the typical stylistic characteristics of the Bayon period. Cambodian art went through a continuous period of evolution via the medium of sandstone. The impressive known sculptures of the historical Buddha seated on Mucilinda dating from the Bayon period are striking icons of Khmer art. This sculpture reveals fine individual physical traits rendered by fine modelling. The movement of the snake, with his body curling beneath the Buddha and his seven heads rising above Buddha’s head, increase the lively aspect of this classic sculpture. The realistic face of Buddha has a serene expression and resembles the portraits of Jayarvarman VII, an ideal image of the popular monarch of his time. Provenance: Collection Dr. F. Finkelstein, USA. Art Loss Register Certificate, Reference S00004036. E. C. Bunker and D. Latchford, Adoration and Glory. The Golden Age of Khmer Art, Chicago, 2004, p. 282, n°97 a,b. Cambodia, Buddha of Healing, Bayon style, late 12th century, height 44,2 cm. R. Lefebvre d’Argencé, Asian Art. Museum and University Collections in the San Francisco Bay area, Montclair, 1978, n°166. Cambodia, Buddha on Naga, Bayon, late 12th/early 13th century, height 29 in. Lopetcharat Somkiart, Thailand, A History in Buddha Image, vol. I, Bangkok, 2005, p.397, n°13. Cambodia, Buddha on Naga, Bayon, Late 12th century. H. I. Jessup and T. Zephir, Sculpture of Angkor and Ancient Cambodia, Millennium of Glory, Thames and Hudson Inc., 1997, p.308, ill.94. Cambodia, Fragment of Buddha on Naga, Bayon style, Sandstone, height 111cm, Musée national des Arts Asiatiques - Guimet, Paris. |