Container in the Form of a Lotus Surmounted by a Female Figure
Unknown Artist
ca. first half of the 12th century
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
H. 2 1/16 in. (5.2 cm); W. 6 in. (15.2 cm)
Classification
Sculpture
Culture & Period
Thailand (or Cambodia?) · Angkor period
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Steven Kossak, The Kronos Collections, 1992
Accession Number
1992.150.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant bronze sculpture, created in the first half of 12th century during the Angkor period, takes the form of a lotus blossom container crowned by a graceful female figure. Measuring just over five centimeters in height, the piece reflects the refined metalworking traditions of the Khmer Empire, which spanned regions of present-day Cambodia and Thailand. The lotus, a powerful symbol of purity and spiritual awakening in both Hindu and Buddhist traditions, serves as both the vessel’s shape and its decorative motif, while the female figure above likely represents a deity, attendant, or ide...