id: 114975 accession number: 1935.147 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1935.147 updated: 2023-03-25 11:14:22.423000 Enthroned planetary deity, 850–875. Central Vietnam (Champa), Quang Nam province, Dong Duong monastery. Sandstone; overall: 86.5 x 37.5 cm (34 1/16 x 14 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Edward L. Whittemore Fund 1935.147 title: Enthroned planetary deity title in original language: series: series in original language: creation date: 850–875 creation date earliest: 850 creation date latest: 875 current location: 243 Indian and Southeast Asian creditline: Edward L. Whittemore Fund copyright: --- culture: Central Vietnam (Champa), Quang Nam province, Dong Duong monastery technique: Sandstone department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art collection: Southeast Asian type: Sculpture find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS --- measurements: Overall: 86.5 x 37.5 cm (34 1/16 x 14 3/4 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS title: The Silver Jubilee Exhibition opening date: 1941-06-23T04:00:00 The Silver Jubilee Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 23-September 28, 1941). title: Art: The International Language opening date: 1956-10-02T04:00:00 Art: The International Language. The Cleveland Museum of Art (October 2-November 4, 1956). title: Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum opening date: 1991-06-07T04:00:00 Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 8, 1991). title: Lost Kingdoms of Early Southeast Asia: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture 5th to 8th Century opening date: 2014-04-14T00:00:00 Lost Kingdoms of Early Southeast Asia: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture 5th to 8th Century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (organizer) (April 14-July 27, 2014). --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS --- PROVENANCE (Paul Mallon [1884–1975], Paris, France and New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) date: ?–1935 footnotes: citations: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH date: 1935– footnotes: citations: --- fun fact: digital description: Enthroned Planetary Deity is a powerful presence about three feet tall, made of a light-colored sandstone. He is a personification of one of the nine planets that protected a Buddhist temple; the short dagger in his left hand along with the mustache and stylized furrowed brow refer to his role as a fierce protector. His posture is that of royal ease, and his crown, massive earrings, and throne also mark him as a king of the heavens. The mark on his forehead refers to his association with enlightened beings. The meaning of a planetary deity as a guardian pertains to the consecration of the temple at a time when the planets were correctly aligned with the stars, so that the site and devotees will be protected from misfortune. The “face of glory” (kirtimukha) on the carved relief panel in front of his pedestal is an image pertaining to the creative energy (shakti) that is emitted from the temple itself, and it spits jewels and vegetal motifs that connote abundance and prosperity that will accrue to the worshippers who come to the temple.

This sculpture is one of the rare surviving examples of a sculpture from the Cham culture of central and southern Vietnam. It is documented to have come from the Dong Duong monastery, dedicated to Mahayana Buddhism. wall description: This powerful figure is a personification of a celestial body installed by the entrance to a Buddhist temple. He is seated in the posture associated with royalty; his crown, massive earrings, and throne also identify him as a king of the heavens. The mark on his forehead refers to his association with enlightened beings.

The short dagger in his left hand along with the mustache and furrowed brow are attributes of a protector. Personifications of the sun, moon, and planets functioned as guardians of a sacred site, indicating that correct astrological calculations were made to determine the moment of consecration, thereby ensuring the potency of worship and protection of the site.

This sculpture is one of the rare surviving examples from the Cham culture of central and southern Vietnam. --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. page number: Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 793 url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1958/page/n141 The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. page number: Reproduced: p. 243 url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1966/page/n267 The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. page number: Reproduced: p. 243 url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1969/page/n267 The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. page number: Reproduced: p. 320 url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1978/page/n340 Cunningham, Michael R., Stanislaw J. Czuma, Anne E. Wardwell, and J. Keith Wilson. Masterworks of Asian Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1998. page number: Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 166–167 url: Guy, John, et al. Lost Kingdoms: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Early Southeast Asia. New York, N.Y.: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014. page number: Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 248–249, cat. no. 155 url: --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1935.147/1935.147_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1935.147/1935.147_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1935.147/1935.147_full.tif