Portable Icon of Shakyamuni (c.1181-1218 CE)

This portable bronze icon depicts Shakyamuni Buddha at the decisive moment of his enlightenment. Rich in narrative detail despite its modest size, the sculpture invites close viewing and conveys both spiritual authority and royal symbolism. Designed to be carried, it embodied a sacred presence that could move with worshippers across the Khmer landscape.

The icon was created in Cambodia in the late 1100s to early 1200s, during the reign of King Jayavarman VII (c. 1181–1218), the most influential Buddhist ruler of the Khmer Empire. Under his rule, Mahayana Buddhism became the state religion, marking a significant shift from earlier Hindu dominance. Jayavarman VII sponsored vast temple complexes, infrastructure, and religious images, using art as a means to spread Buddhist teachings and legitimize royal power. Portable bronze images such as this played a key role in ritual life, allowing the Buddha’s presence to be established in new or distant temples.

According to Buddhist tradition, on the night of his enlightenment, the Buddha was challenged by Mara, the embodiment of illusion and desire. Rather than responding with force, the Buddha calmly touched the earth, calling it to witness his accumulated merit from past lives. The earth goddess emerged and wrung water from her hair, washing away Mara’s army. This dramatic episode—central to Buddhist storytelling—is vividly captured in the lower register of the sculpture, where grimacing demons flee in defeat.

The sculpture illustrates the bhūmisparśa mudrā, the “earth-touching gesture,” one of the most important hand gestures in Buddhist art. It symbolizes unshakable resolve, truth, and the moment of awakening. Khmer artistic elements are strongly present: the rearing nāga serpents signify royal power and protection, while the likely rice offering in the Buddha’s left hand emphasizes fertility and prosperity of the land. Together, these motifs link Buddhist cosmology with Khmer kingship and agricultural abundance.

• Material: Bronze
• Dimensions: approximately 42 × 18.5 × 3 cm (about 16 9/16 × 7 5/16 × 1 3/16 inches)
  The Buddha sits on a lotus pedestal encircled by flaming jewels and lotus petals. Above him rise the branches of the pipal (bodhi) tree, under which enlightenment was attained. Beneath the pedestal, the earth goddess and fleeing demons form a compact yet highly detailed narrative scene, demonstrating advanced Khmer bronze-casting techniques of the Bayon period.

The sculpture’s early history is unknown. By the mid-20th century it was in the collection of art dealer Peter Marks in New York. In 1964, it was sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it remains today.