id:			153775
accession number:	1987.71
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1987.71
updated:		2023-04-05 11:07:29.509000

Earring, c. 1100s–1200s. Cambodia, Angkorean Period (877-1431). Bronze; overall: 8.3 x 3.5 x 3.2 cm (3 1/4 x 1 3/8 x 1 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1987.71

title:				Earring
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			c. 1100s–1200s
creation date earliest:		1100
creation date latest:		1299
current location:		
creditline:			John L. Severance Fund
copyright:			

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culture:	Cambodia, Angkorean Period (877-1431)
technique:	bronze
department:	Indian and Southeast Asian Art
collection:	Cambodian Art
type:		Jewelry
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Overall: 8.3 x 3.5 x 3.2 cm (3 1/4 x 1 3/8 x 1 1/4 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

* The Cleveland Museum of Art (10/14/2017-03/25/2018): "Beyond Angkor: Cambodian Sculpture from Banteay Chhmar"

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PROVENANCE

	(William H. Wolff [1906–1991], New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
	date: ?–1987
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
	date: 1987–
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


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fun fact:
This earring is topped with the form of a <em>naga</em>, a water serpent with a multi-headed hood.

digital description:


wall description:
Earrings that were cast in bronze and then gilded (on this example, the gilding has worn off) were attached to the stone sculptures themselves. The serpent, a Khmer national emblem, was used frequently as an ornamental motif. <br><br>The historical Buddha Shakyamuni was born a prince in northern India in the late 500s BC, and he wore heavy earrings that dragged down his earlobes. When he renounced worldly life to seek enlightenment, he cast off all his jewels. Generally, Buddha images have elongated earlobes without earrings, while bodhisattvas—beings close to full enlightenment—wear princely jewels in reference to Shakyamuni’s princely life just before he became a Buddha. By the early 1200s in Cambodia, however, these categories had become more nuanced: the bodhisattva Lokeshvara was viewed as such a potent figure he was sometimes called a Buddha and images of some special Buddhas other than Shakyamuni were distinguished by their jewelry.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1987.71/1987.71_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1987.71/1987.71_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1987.71/1987.71_full.tif