Ancient Khmer Empire, Angkorian period, 12th-13th century, Prajnaparamita statuette

Bronze representation of the deity Prajnaparamita with a dark patina

Old Khmer Kingdom, Angkorian Period
Lopburi Style
12th-13th century

The deity is depicted in a hieratic, standing samapada pose, with arms extended from her body, holding her traditional attributes: a lotus bud in her left hand, while her right hand clasps the Sutra of Perfect Wisdom. She is adorned with numerous jewels: cabochon-studded bracelets on her arms and wrists, necklaces with finely crafted pendants, and a large pectoral pendant with a floral motif.
Her chest is bare, and her broad hips are covered by a wide sampot, slightly flared at the bottom and decorated with floral bands. This is supported by a belt whose knot is shaped like a corolla and features a wide, pleated panel in the shape of a fishtail, characteristic of Angkorian Khmer art.
The face is characterized by fine, slightly raised brow ridges that meet at the base of the nose and sit above two large, lenticular eyes. The thin, slightly upturned nose sits above a mouth with full lips that form a fixed smile, while the chin is marked by a slight dimple. The upper forehead is defined by a thin border framing the entire hairstyle, composed of vertical braids gathered into a high, truncated conical bun encircled by a tiara. The ears are adorned with large pendants that rest on the shoulders.

Our Prajnaparamita statuette represents the abstract personification of the Prajanaparamita-sutra, a foundational text of Mahayana Buddhism, embodying the transcendent and perfect wisdom that allows one to attain Enlightenment by transcending the illusion of the phenomenal world.
Our representation is situated within a specific context where King Jayavarman VII (1182-c. 1219/1220) made Mahayana Buddhism the dominant religion of the Khmer Empire, marking a profound religious and cultural transformation in Angkor at the end of the 12th century. Thus, in Khmer territory, as early as the 7th century, the first images of Avalokiteshvara appeared, establishing the preeminence of Mahayana, or Great Vehicle Buddhism, over the Buddhism of the Ancients, the latter fading from religious life until the 13th century.
It was in the 10th century, during the reigns of Rajendravarman and his son Jayavarman V, that the goddess appeared in a largely Hindu context, where she remained a secondary deity, integrated into triadic compositions alongside Avalokiteshvara/Lokesvara or Vajrapani and the Buddha. It was during the reign of Jayavarman VII that she was elevated to the rank of a major deity of Mahayana Buddhism, in a conception where wisdom (Prajnaparamita) and compassion (Lokesvara) structured the royal religious ideology.

The Lopburi style, associated with the eponymous city (ancient Lavapura) located in central Thailand, developed during the Angkorian era between the 11th and early 13th centuries as part of the expansion of the Khmer Empire in central Thailand. During the Angkor Wat period, the region was fully integrated into the Khmer political and cultural sphere, particularly under Suryavarman II, which fostered the spread of Angkor's architectural and iconographic models. In the 12th century, under Jayavarman VII, this influence reached its zenith with the rise of Mahayana Buddhist art and the Bayon style. Lopburi's productions then adopted the major characteristics of Khmer art: the hieratic nature of the figures, the volumetric treatment of the bodies, and the refinement of the drapery.

For a statuette of Prajnaparamita similar to ours, see the last illustration depicting the deity, preserved in the archives of the National Museum of Cambodia.

Bronze with a dark patina
Signs of wear
18.5 x 7.3 cm excluding base
Formerly in a New York private collection, acquired before 1970

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