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Lintel Celebrating Lakshmi
Not on view
Lakshmi, goddess of fertility and abundance, is depicted in the central medallion of this early Khmer lintel. Her principal attribute is the lotus (padma), and her presence on a lintel accords with her role as protector of the threshold to Vaishnava shrines. This lintel is among the earliest of its type. The flamboyance of the wide-jawed makaras (aquatic monsters) and the emerging celestial celebrants amid convoluted foliage set the agenda for Khmer lintel decoration thereafter. The evolution of style witnessed here, building on Chalukyan prototypes from the Indian Deccan, is a touchstone for much seventh-century Cambodian art.
cat. no. 62
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