Bodhisattva Avaolkiteshvara

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This four-armed Avalokiteshvara relates to a cache of small icons recovered by chance at the early eighth-century Khmer brick-and-sandstone temple Prasat Ak Yom, located on what is now an embankment of the West Baray, the eleventh-century reservoir in Angkor. This temple was likely the earliest step-pyramid temple in Khmer history. It has two doorjamb inscriptions, dated 674 and 704, respectively. During excavations in the 1930s, a set of bronzes was found secreted away in a cavity behind a lintel. This bronze is probably from the same workshop that supplied the Prasat Ak Yom temple with its images. cat. no. 132

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art