This sculpture is the head of a Buddha sitting in meditation (samadhi) on the naga Mucilinda represents, according to one interpretation, an episode in the life of Sakyamuni. This one, lost in meditation, was to be swallowed up by the waters of a lake Mucilinda inhabiting these waters, then protected him by deploying multiple heads that appear here overlooking the figure. Sitting on the coiled body of the snake, the Buddha seems to be inducted. Inherited by his hieratic style of the tenth centuryas well as its abundant adornment, this statue is typical of the style of Angkor Wat. The wide face in a square it presents an artificial morphology and stylized patterned mask is crossed by the line of continuous and sharp brows. This representation of Buddha protected by the naga is an archetypal image Cambodia, appearing -in the current state of connaissances- at the beginning of the tenth century it will then be very popular in the Angkorian statues. This representation is becoming particularly important in Cambodia, where the naga is linked to the origins of the Khmer kingdom.

This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.