Lokeshvara with raised arm
11th century
Although only a fragment, we can identify this gentle image as Lokeshvara (Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion) thanks to the small meditating Buddha nestled in his crown. Made at the height of the Khmer Empire, which controlled much of what is today Cambodia and Thailand, this Lokeshvara displays a curious pose. Other Khmer Lokeshvara images face front with their arms downward; this figure’s head turns to his left and his left arm, now broken, was clearly raised above shoulder level.
Stone
13 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. (34.29 x 26.67 x 16.51 cm)
Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection
34.68
Provenance: Collection of Horace Geoffrey (H.G.) Quaritch Wales (1900-1981), England; [Gump's, San Francisco]; purchased from gallery by Seattle Art Museum (partly in trade, Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection), April 17, 1934