An Angkor Wat style meditation Buddha, seated on a three-tired throne, with the flaring head of a giant Naga, the serpent King Muchalinda, rising behind protectively behind. His hands are in the Dhyana mudra, the gesture of Meditation. The Buddha's face is serene, with a naturalistic and warm expression; his head is topped by a detailed ushnisha, in the Angkor style. The serpent is well rendered and symmetrical. The precise representation of the serpent’s scales, the sage facial features, hands and elaborately incised crown epitomise the perfection of the Angkor period, without the rigidity that often characterises the art of this period. The iconic expression of the Buddha suggests a calm spirituality appropriate to the meditating figure. The presence of a crown is indicative of the growing importance of the Buddha being adorned with jewels and crown, suggesting a modification to the simplicity of early conceptions to accord with the increasing emphasis on imperial power. The throne is formed by the coils of the serpent. The story told here being that Muchalinda protected the Buddha from heavy rain. This iconography is typical of the reign of Khmer King Jayavarman VII (ca. 1181 to 1218 CE), who established a cult based around it. The statue is carved in the round, rather than as a relief on a stela. From this, we can infer that Khmer sculptors would have desired their artwork to be viewed from all sides and thus placed in the center of temples rather than against a wall. While this artwork was religious - priests supervised its execution - its realism is unmistakable. Please contact us for high resolution images of the piece.