Great Cambodian Buddha of the early 19th century

Large Cambodian Buddha from the early 19th century.
Finely carved hardwood finished with red lacquer. Traces of gold.
Good patina. Good condition.
Measurements: 76 x 40 x 20 cm.

This wood carving represents Buddha in the mudra Bhumisparsa or "Calling the Earth to be a witness". Its aesthetics is based on models of the Khmer culture. This position depicts the subjugation of Mara (a demon) who bombarded Buddha with demons, monsters, violent storms and his three seductive daughters. Standing firm, Buddha bore witness to his meritorious past by pointing to the earth and calling out to the Earth Goddess, Thorani. Seated in half-lotus position on a towering pedestal, he has a large ushnisha protuberance on the top of his head symbolizing his high level of spiritual development.
The Khmer Empire was the largest empire in Southeast Asia and its core roughly corresponded to present-day Cambodia. The empire, which had become independent from the kingdom of Srivijaya and eventually replaced the kingdom of Chenla, controlled or made vassals of present-day Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Indonesia. During the formation of the empire, the Khmer Empire had very close cultural, political and commercial ties with Java first and with Srivijaya, which were located in the south of the empire. Its most important legacy is Angkor, which was the capital of the empire during its heyday. Angkor is the best testimony of the power and wealth of the empire, as well as the diversity of beliefs that followed one another over the centuries. The official religions of the empire were Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism until Theravada Buddhism took over after its introduction from Sri Lanka in the 13th century. Modern satellites have revealed that Angkor was the largest pre-industrial human settlement in the world, larger than modern New York and all. The history of Angkor as the center of the historic kingdom of Kambuja is also the history of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to the 15th century.