Art Institute of Chicago

Crowned Buddha with Hands in Gesture of Teaching <em>(Vitarkamudra)</em>

Thailand or Cambodia

Date

Angkor period, 12th century or later

Medium

Bronze

Culture

Southeast Asia

Department

Arts of Asia

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

This standing crowned and bejeweled Buddha, depicted with the distinctive double teaching hand gesture ( vitarkamudra ), exemplifies a key feature of Khmer Buddhist iconography from the 12th century onward. This imagery likely draws inspiration from earlier Mon‒Dvaravati standing Buddha depictions, though uncrowned, which also emphasize the double teaching symmetrical pose. Possibly originating in the region of Phimai, northeast Thailand—an important Mahayana and tantric Buddhist center—this iconographic type diverges from Indian traditions and became a hallmark of Khmer art before later giving way to the fearless hand gesture ( abhayamudra ). Small bronzes of this kind, widely produced and circulated across the Angkorian empire, lack site-specific origins, making their precise provenance nearly impossible to determine.

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