484 - SEATED BRONZE BUDDHA MUCHALINDA KHMER 13TH CENTURY

SEATED BRONZE BUDDHA MUCHALINDA KHMER 13TH CENTURY Dimensions: Height 19 cm Wide 7 cm Depth 5,5 cm Weight: 770 grams A thirteenth-century Khmer bronze of Buddha protected by Muchalinda, the great naga king, seated in peaceful meditation upon the serpent's coiled body. Behind the serene figure rises a magnificent fan of seven cobra hoods, their richly worked scales and heads forming a dramatic shelter above the Buddha. Crowned features, carefully modelled garments and a broad base contrast with the animated curves of the serpents, now united by a deep green-brown patina. The image recalls the sacred episode in which Muchalinda shielded the meditating Buddha from a storm following enlightenment. A celebrated subject in Cambodian Buddhist art, this bronze combines spiritual composure with the powerful serpent imagery characteristic of the Khmer tradition.