Tantric Goddess
Sculpture
12th century (made)
12th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The goddess Ghasmarī stands in a dancing posture with her proper right arm raised above her head holding a snake, and her left hand holding a skull cup in front of her chest. Her right leg is raised up to her left knee, and her right foot stands on a corpse. She wears a short, drawn-up sampot and is adorned with armbands, bracelets, and anklets, and wears a pointed crown. This solid cast bronze sculpture would have formed part of a larger ensemble, likely comprising eight goddesses surrounding a many-armed Hevajra as described in a tantric Buddhist called the Hevajra Tantra,which appears to have been important during the reign of the Khmer king Jayavarman VII (c. 1122-1218).
Object details
| Object type | |
| Titles |
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| Materials and techniques | Bronze, solid lost-wax cast |
| Brief description | Tantric Goddess, Bronze, Late Angkorian style, 12th century, Thailand or Cambodia |
| Physical description | The goddess Ghasmarī stands in a dancing posture with her proper right arm raised above her head holding a snake, and her left hand holding a skull cup in front of her chest. Her right leg is raised up to her left knee, and her right foot stands on a corpse. She wears a short, drawn-up sampot and is adorned with armbands, bracelets, and anklets, and wears a pointed crown. This solid cast bronze sculpture would have formed part of a larger ensemble, likely comprising eight goddesses surrounding a many-armed Hevajra as described in a tantric Buddhist called the Hevajra Tantra,which appears to have been important during the reign of the Khmer king Jayavarman VII (c. 1122-1218). |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Object history | Bought from Alex Biancardi, who acquired it in the mid to late 1960s Previously identified as a female spirit (apsara) and reidentified by Peter Sharrock (2024). This sculpture may be compared to the Hevajra sculpture at the Cleveland Museum of Art (2011.143). |
| Production | Cambodia |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.39-1994 |
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| Record created | February 13, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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