Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara
Khmer
Angkor period, 11th century
Medium
Sandstone
Dimensions
45.1 × 25.4 × 9.9 cm (17 3/4 × 10 × 3 7/8 in.)
Classification
sandstone
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
149847
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
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.