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Source Description
The god Brahma is best known for his role in the Hindu pantheon as creator of the universe, but he also has a place in the Buddhist traditions as a protector of the "dharma" (Buddhist teachings). This sculpture was most likely made during the reign of the Buddhist king Jayavarman VII (r. 1181-ca. 1218), when many Hindu deities were incorporated into the practices of Khmer Buddhism. Brahma's four faces, which look in all four directions at once, signal his omniscience.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
27940
label
Seated Brahma
core
obj
dtoType
sculpture
citationUrl
pageCount
7
Source metadata
id
27940
sourceUrl
contentType
sculpture
stage
normalized
title
Seated Brahma
description
The god Brahma is best known for his role in the Hindu pantheon as creator of the universe, but he also has a place in the Buddhist traditions as a protector of the "dharma" (Buddhist teachings). This sculpture was most likely made during the reign of the Buddhist king Jayavarman VII (r. 1181-ca. 1218), when many Hindu deities were incorporated into the practices of Khmer Buddhism. Brahma's four faces, which look in all four directions at once, signal his omniscience.
provenance
Brahmanical Temple (Bot Phram), Bangkok; Alexander B. Griswold, Monkton, Maryland, July 1949 [1]; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1992.[1] Presented to the Breezewood Foundation, December 1960, inv. no. 490 (originally no. 863)
date
late 12th-early 13th century (Bàyon)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Metal
sculpture (visual works)
statues
imageCount
7
pageCount
7
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
29.5
height
27.4
depth
14.3
dimensionsRaw
H without tang: 11 5/8 × W: 10 13/16 × D: 5 5/8 in. (29.5 × 27.4 × 14.3 cm); H with tang: 12 3/8 × W: 10 13/16 × D: 5 5/8 in. (31.5 × 27.4 × 14.3 cm); H on block: 13 1/16 × W: 10 13/16 × D: 5 5/8 in. (33.2 × 27.4 × 14.3 cm); Block H: 1 7/16 × W: 9 × D: 5 1/2 in. (3.7 × 22.8 × 14 cm)
style
Bayon
Source extras
cul
Cambodian
reign
Jayavarman VII (r. 1181–ca. 1218)
med
bronze
creator_ids
2147
collection_ids
SEA
exhibition_ids
945
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
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5b85ccf71d7bce8e
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
e17bac19f28178a2
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
2494241111dd20a8
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no
hasDescription
no
seq
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type
photo
mediaId
df1a1e4750a6f3fa
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
5
type
photo
mediaId
c7f1b618b1d74f75
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
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type
photo
mediaId
6ce61b17a48888ab
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
7
type
photo
mediaId
dba198d7f5203982
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no