A Pre-Angkorian Bronze Bodhisattva at the Art Institute of Chicago
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Abstract
This article examines a small pre-Angkorian bodhisattva in bronze (7th–8th century) at the Art Institute of Chicago, traditionally identified as Maitreya but never studied in depth. Its iconography, style, and casting technique are considered within the Mon–Khmer corpus of early mainland Southeast Asian Buddhist imagery. The study reassesses the absence of archeological context and the unsubstantiated attribution to the so-called Prakhon Chai or Plai Bat Hill hoard in northeast Thailand, discovered in the 1960s. Attention is given to its acquisition through a New York–based dealer, likely connected to Bangkok networks, revealing the complex modern circulation of Southeast Asian antiquities.
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