Lintel Depicting the Lingodbhavamurti Myth and a King's Consecration
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Two great events are depicted in this unique composition—one mythical, the other actual. The latter appears to be commemorative, recording the legitimizing ceremony of a local king. The myth, in the upper register, the Lingodbhavamurti, tells of a dispute between Brahma and Vishnu, resolved when a flaming pillar appears before the two gods and Shiva reveals himself as the supreme authority. Below, an enthroned king is lustrated by priests. This ritual bathing, abhisheka, is, in the context of kingship, associated with consecration and the conferring of divine status.
cat. no. 88
cat. no. 88
Artwork Details
- Title: Lintel Depicting the Lingodbhavamurti Myth and a King's Consecration
- Period: Pre-Angkor period
- Date: mid- 7th century
- Culture: Central Cambodia
- Medium: Sandstone
- Dimensions: H. 21 5/8 in. (55 cm); W. 72 13/16 in. (185 cm); D. 11 in. (28 cm); Wt. 1028 lbs (466.3 kg)
- Classification: Sculpture
- Credit Line: Lent by National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh (Ka.1774)
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art