Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

This fragmented sandstone sculpture depicts Avalokiteshvara, the four-armed Bodhisattva of compassion, from the 11th-century Angkor period. Carved in the elegant Baphuon style, it features a high-tied sampot (male wrap garment), a serene face, and a small seated Buddha Amitabha in the chignon—crucial for its identification. Likely once part of a worship triad, the sculpture’s exact origins remain unknown, reflecting the difficulties of tracing displaced artifacts from this period.

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