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Early
Sculptors
The early sculptors of Thailand were faced with an
awe-inspiring task. For it was their responsibility
to capture the intangible, invisible gods and translate
their power, their beauty and their spirituality into
figures of bronze or stone. Fortunately a number of
guidelines existed to help them. Since most of the
early images carved in the region were representations
of either Hindu deities or the Buddha, the sculptors
were obliged to follow certain rules, originally devised
in India, the source of both religions.
 Thailand’s
early sculptors had the advantage of being able to copy images
brought here by visitors from India were a perfection of style
had been reached by about the 5th century AD. It was not the
sculptor’s job to be innovative: the more perfectly they
copied a beautiful image, the better it was considered to
be. However, it was only natural that local craftsman should
begin to breathe new life into old forms, and with the passage
of years local features and preferences of style became more
and more evident. Indeed after many centuries, the styles
can be seen to have changed quite dramatically. The astonishing
thing is that so many craftsmen, never exposed to sophisticated
schools of art or theoretical concepts, managed so successfully
to create images of astounding beauty and individuality, which
without doubt portray the serenity and the spirituality of
the Buddha nature. And yet we know very little about the early
sculptors themselves. We do not know the name of a single
one of them. Just occasionally the name of a patron or donor
will appear in an inscription, but the name of the sculptor
is never revealed.
Thai
Buddha Image
It was most important, for instance,
that an image of the Buddha should not be confused
with any ordinary person, or indeed with a Hindu deity.
In India the very earliest images of the Buddha were
not made until several hundreds years after his death,
and since no realistic portraits of him existed, the
Buddhist authorities invented thirty-two special features
which were to be included in a true and instantly
recognizable image of the Buddha. In practice was
not possible to include every feature in each image,
but the most important one are always present. For
instance, Buddha images display a strange lump on
the top of the head. This is called ushnisa it is
symbolic of the Buddha’s wisdom and is one of the
keys identifying features. The body and limps of a
Buddha image are depicted in a highly stylized fashion
and show little evidence of bone and muscle. This
in no way reflects the inability of the early sculptors
to model the human physique more accurately. It is
the result of the way that several of the thirty-two
special features were combined in an endeavor to portray
the Buddha superiority to the average man, and his
profound spiritual purity. In Thailand his body is
asexual, this aspect signifying the conquering of
physical desire by the disciplining of his mind. The
Buddha’s eyes are usually downcast, shaped like the
buds of lotus flower and the mouth smile gently to
enhance the aura of inner peace.
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Mon
Dvaravati
 The
collapse of the Funan Empire in the mid Sixth century AD permitted
the emergence of many independent stated throughout Southeast
Asia. In Thailand one of these state was called Dvaravati
and its center appears to have been at the head of the Bight
of Bangkok, off the Gulf of Thailand. The main cities were
Nakhon Pathom, Lopburi and U Thong. The word "Dvaravati" is
also used to describe an art style that flourished from the
7th-11th century AD throughout almost the entire area of present-day
Thailand.
Little is known about the political organization
of Dvaravati. It was most probably a kingdom,
which consisted of a group of cities loosely,
linked together by cultural and family ties. What
we do know of Dvaravati derives mainly from the
vast amount of superb sculpture, which remains.
The majority of the people of Dvaravati were Mon
and the language they spoke was Mon, which is
related to the Khmer language and to several other
dialects still spoken throughout Southeast Asia.
Judging from the predominates finds, the religion
of the Mon was Hinayana Buddhism. During the mid-Dvaravati
period –8th-9th century AD Mahayana Buddhism was
also practiced. Some finds of sculptures of Hindu
gods indicate that Hinduism was followed too.
Dvaravati
Style
The Mon were highly skilled artists
who excelled in stone sculpture, stucco and terracotta
architectural decoration, and, to a lesser degree,
in bronze work. Their art stile was mainly influenced
by the Gupta and posts Gupta styles that flourished
in central and western India between the 4th and 8th
centuries. However, the facial features of Dvaravati
Buddha images exhibit pronounced native elements-
a large face, curved eyebrows joined at the bridge
of the nose, prominent eyes partly closed, a broad
nose, thick and well-defined lips. The hair is in
a large spiral curls with a cylindrical ushnisha or
cranial protuberance. Later standing Dvaravati images
exhibit rigid symmetry; the body stands in erect posture
with the feet firmly planted on a lotus pedestal;
both hands perform the same mudra; the outer robe
covers both shoulders and clings closely to the body,
giving an impression of nude asexually; both sides
of the robe are identical. Seated Buddha images are
either with legs crossed or folded or with legs hanging
down.
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Khmer
and Lopburi
In about the 6th century AD the Khmer,
a people linguistically related to the Mon, came down
the Mekhong river valley. Some settled in Northeastern
Thailand; others went on to the area, which is now
Cambodia. By the following century statues bearing
the impact of the Khmer style were being sculptured
in what is now Thailand. From the 7th century to the
mid 13th, the military prowess of the Khmer increased
until a large portion of Thailand was under their
control; finally in the 13th century the Thais were
able to rise up, overcome the Khmer and become their
own master. The art of the Khmer in Thailand has often
been called Lopburi Art after the city of that name
in Central Thailand, which was the major Khmer seat
of provincial administration. This designation has
been given to indicate that the art is not merely
the creation from the Khmer of the Angkor area but
that of the local peoples as well, who introduced
new stylistic ideas of their own and left their distinctive
imprint.
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 Lan
Na Thai
A theory that traditionally has been
given considerable credence holds by the 11th century
AD, migrating Thai tribes had infiltrated and settle
in the regions of northern Thailand. By 1297, under
the leadership of the dynamic King Mengrai, a northern
kingdom known as Lan Na Thai extended from Chiang
Saeng in the far north through to Chiang Rai, Chang
Mai, Lamphun and Lampang. Chiang Mai was established
as the capital of the kingdom, which shared the Buddhist
belief and to some extent the culture of the earlier
Mon kingdom of Haripunjaya in the Lamphung region.
Lan
Na Style
The art produced in the Lan Na Thai
Kingdom between 11th and 18th centuries AD is the
object of current scholarly debate, as many influences
have contributed to its distinctive qualities, including
those from Haripunjaya, Angkor. Sukhothai, Sri Lanka,
India and Burma. Though there is much controversy
over the origin and dating of northern Buddha Images,
this Lan Na region can be said to have produced two
distinctive types. The first type is something called
Early Chiang Saen after the town where many such images
were found, whereas the second type has traditionally
been known as Late Chiang Sean or Chiang Mai. Images
of the first type have heavy solidity of the body
and give an impression of great strength and virile
energy, with massive shoulders, the chest inflated
as if with yogic breath, and a slim waistline. Typically,
surmounting the conical ushnisha is a knob-like final,
perhaps a lotus bulb or a gem, though to have derived
from contacts with India. Below the prominent curl-covered
hairline, the face is round and flashy, almost sensual.
The massive, almost corpulent, body is clothed in
robe worn in the open mode, and the flap of the robe
is short, ending above the left breast. The right
hand touches the right knee in the mudra of Victory
over Mara. Adding to the impression of restrained
strength, the legs are crossed, with the ankles locked
in full lotus position, the soles of the feet pointing
upwards. From the mid-15th century onward, contact
with the Sukhothai led to Lan Na Thai image being
made slimmer of body. The face became more elongated
and oval, and the Sukhothai flame rather than the
lotus, in time surmounted the ushnisha, The short
flap of the robe gave away to an elongated one that
terminated above the waistline instead of the breast.
Images with these characteristics are known as the
Late Chiang Saen or Chiang Mai type.
The richness and grandeur of the early Lan Na
Thai Kingdom, which flourished up to the Burmese
conquest of the north in 1556, is also reflected
in its handsome gilded miniature objects of art.
Many such exquisite objects were unearthed from
the ruined chedis of Hod in Chiang Mai province
in 1960 . The magnificent collection includes
Buddhist votive objects, and also miniature specimens
of Lan Na religious architecture, as well as animal
figures such as elephants, deer, goats, frogs,
ducks, and two-headed birds.
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 Sukhothai
The origins of the Thai people are
shrouded in legend. Current scholarly debate questions
traditionally held beliefs that they had migrated
over the centuries ( prior to the 13th century) into
northern and upper central Thailand, possibly from
regions of Southern China, and perhaps areas further
east or north. However, it is with these people in
the Sukhothai region and their rise to greatness that
the history of Thailand, or Siam, is said to have
begun. Until the middle of the 13th century AD regions
of what today are northeast and central Thailand were
under Khmer rule. At that time, at Sukhothai, a group
of independent Thai Chieftains who owed allegiance
to the Khmer were able to throw off the Khmer yoke
and establish themselves as rulers. Although this
kingdom of Sukhothai (translated as the Dawn Of Happiness)
adjoined only a brief period of independent flowering-less
than 200 years before it was absorbed in 1438 by the
power of Ayutthaya of the central plains-it is regarded
by the Thais as a Golden Age, the found of traditions
still practiced today. Sukhothai and his regional
towns reveal that although the Hindu beliefs of the
banished Khmer were partially retained, it was the
Buddhist faith that gave impetus to the new civilization.
The third King of Sukhothai, Ramkhamhaeng, regarded
by Thais as the father of the nation and creator of
the Thai alphabet, records on his 1292 inscription
the abundant prosperity and religious piety of the
people who flock to numerous Buddhist Sanctuaries,
both inside and outside the city walls.
Sukhothai
Style
To the uninitiated eye Sukhothai
period Buddha images may at first appear awkward and
distorted. This "distortion" is deliberate, as sculptors
did not base their images on human models but on close
and literal interpretation of metaphors from religious
verses and Pali languages scriptures, which specified
the many distinguishing marks of lakshanas of the
Great Being. Accordingly, the artist created images
that were intended to reflect the superhuman spiritual
and compassionate nature of the Buddha. Characteristically,
classic Sukhothai images are seated on a plain base,
with the right hand placed near the knee, performing
the gesture of Calling the Earth to Witness or Victory
over Mara, representing the moment of Enlightenment.
Soaring above the ushnisha or skull protuberance is
a Sukhothai innovation, the Thai flame, symbolizing
the Buddha’s radiant spiritual energy. The hairline
forms a delicate V-shape at the top of the brow. This
shape is echoed by the curved sweep of the arched
eyebrows which join at the bridge of a substantial
almost hooked nose, shaped like "a parrot’s beak"
according to the scriptures. Three lines incised at
the neck are also marks of the Great Being, as are
the elongated earlobes denoting the Buddha’s former
princely status. The shoulders of Sukhothai images
are extremely broad, and the chest inflated, as if
with yogic breath. As stipulated in the scriptures,
the arms are long and sinuous, "like the trunk of
a young elephant". This convention is particularly
evident in the images of the Walking Buddha in the
full round, a Sukhothai innovation.
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U
Thong
In 1350 King U Thong established
the kingdom of Ayutthaya, which was to become one
of the most important and long-lasting kingdoms on
the mainland of Southeast Asia. The kingdom was situated
in the Menan (or Chao Phraya) basin, previously occupied
by the Dvaravati kingdom and then by the Khmer, and
was to the south of its political rival, Sukhothai.
The name U Thong has been used to designate the art,
which flourished in this central plain area of Thailand
from the 12th century until approximately the 15th
century.
U
Thong Style
Many Images in the U Thong style
predate the founding of the Ayutthaya kingdom. The
earliest image date f5rom the 12th century, but are
usually incorporate by scholars into the Early Ayutthaya
period. The U Thong style of Buddha image is divided
into three different phases called by art historians
A B, and C. Type A is the earliest (12th to 13th century),
with types B and C somewhat overlapping in time (types
B spans the 13th to 14th century, while type C dates
from the 13th to the 15th century).
Features common to almost all three types include
a small band between the hairline and forehead,
the robe draped in the open mode with a long flap
from the left shoulder ending in a strait line
above the navel. All have fingers of unequal length.
The head is covered with small sometimes-spiky
curls. The image is generally seated, with the
legs folded, on a simple concave base and perform
the gesture of Subduing Mara or Calling the Earth
to witness. Bronze was the favored medium, although
stucco and sandstone image was also made. The
faces of early U Thong images are square and show
a mixture of Mon and Khmer characteristic. In
later images, oval faces are the result of Sukhothai
influence, which was to prevail. In U Thong A
images the ushnisha is usually surmounted by a
lotus bud. In styles B and C, this is replaced
by an elongated flame. Similarly, the silhouette
of the images of this time also becomes elongate
through Sukhothai influence. Graceful and slander,
images of the U Thong C style were produced in
great numbers and were to influence images if
the whole Ayutthaya period.
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 Ayutthaya
The Ayutthaya style of the Buddha
image appeared in the 15th century, and was inspired
by both Sukhothai and U Thong characteristic. Bronze
remained the favorite material for Ayutthaya sculpture.
However, sandstone images occupy a prominent place
in this period, and stucco image also seem the have
been popular although few now remain. Wood sculptures
were great works of art; the talent if the woodcarvers
of Ayutthaya can still be seen in some doors and pediments
of temples. But the burning of Ayutthaya by the Burmese
in 1767 destroyed most of them.
Ayutthaya
Style
The images of the Ayutthaya period
are represented in more varied attitudes and gestures
than in any other period of Thai art. A great number
of images show Buddha seated in the position of Victory
over Mara. However, standing Buddha’s were very popular.
These standing images show a variety of hand gestures:
hands clasped over the chest, holding the alms bowl,
argumentation (teaching), or more often, dispelling
fear, with one or two hands raised. Reclining images
were frequent; some of them made in colossal proportions.
The art of the Ayutthaya period, which lasted from
1350 until 1767, is generally divided into four subperiods,
reflecting the waxing and waning of various earlier
artistic traditions as well as innovation of the time.
From the 1350 until the 15th century, Buddha
images of the U Thong B and C style were popular
and formed a transition from the U Thong period
to the Ayutthaya period. The body of the image
is often elongated; the face is at first squarish
and later oval, delineated by a hair band, with
a Sukhothai type of flame on top of the ushnisha.
From the mid-15th century until 17th century,
the Sukhothai influence prevailed, but U Thong
C characteristic were evident. The facial expression
changed. The smile became very faint or not existent,
and often the expression was stern. The base of
images became more decorated, occasionally illustrating
episodes of the life of Buddha.
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Ratanakosin
After the destruction of Ayutthaya
by the Burmese in 1767, a New Kingdom was founded
in Thonburi under King Taksin. Subsequently, in 1782,
the capital was moved to Bangkok, with the foundation
of the Chakri dynasty, whose kings are known retrospectively
by the title "Rama". The art of the Bangkok period
can be divided into two distinct artistic areas. The
earlier era spans the reigns of King Rama I to King
Rama III (1782-1851) and embraces classical Siamese
traditions. The latter era dates from the reign of
King Rama IV to the present, incorporating both classical
and modern westernized elements.
Ratanakosin
Style
During the early Bangkok period as
many as 1,200 extant images were brought down to Bangkok
from war-torn areas of central and northern Thailand
and were installed in the city’s new monasteries.
Artists vied to create lofty and ornate thrones for
them. Consequently, relatively few images were made
during that period. New images, when made, were either
cast in bronze or carved from wood, and generally
followed the Ayutthaya tradition of Buddha image-making.
These can barely be distinguished from their earliest
prototypes. Though some were plain, many of these
early Bangkok period images were elaborately decorate,
with artists striving to outdo their predecessors
in abundant ornamentation. Thus the originally simple
monk’s robe apparel of the image was entirely decorated
with embroidery-like designs, and heavy ornate bands
embellished the edges of the robes. The refinement
and simplicity of Buddha images in earlier periods
gave away to regal ornamentation and, some would say,
a loss of spirituality in the image
During the reign of King Rama III , images of
the Buddha were commissioned depicting thirty-four
new attitudes, all drawn from important events
in the life of the Buddha. However, the new attitudes
proved unpopular and the six traditional attitudes
remain the most common.
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Laos
The art of Laos is a provincial version
of the art of Siam. The Thai kingdom of Laos, the
first of which was founded about 1360, were all, in
that inhospitable region of narrow river valleys and
jungle-clad mountains, small, uncoordinated and not
very prosperous. The primitive Mon people upon whom
the Thai imposed themselves had not made in that hostile
environment any substantial cultural advances as other
Mon peoples had done in Cambodia, Siam, and Burma.
Hinayana Buddhism came in from Siam, but it came without
any substratum of older tradition. There were no stone
buildings, and the few durable structures in Laos,
of brick and stucco, are provincial versions of the
art of Ayutthaya. The most interesting and beautiful
of these is the That Luang at Vientiane. This is a
strupa formed as a low dome of square section crowned
by a striking tall spire of the sinuously moulded
shape found everywhere in recent Burmese and Siamese
architecture, for example, the golden palace in Mandalay.
The characteristic Buddhist buildings of Laos are
all of wooden construction, on wooden pillars, with
long, steep, stepped-out roofs. Flamboyant finials
mark the upcurved ends of the ridgepoles, and the
eaves extend to cover wide verandahs. The Buddhism
images these buildings contain are all crude versions
of Ayutthaya types. Some bronzes appear to be fairly
old, but many of the wooden figures are gilt, plated,
and inlaid in base Bangkok style. Some of them are
given a vigor their Bangkok prototypes do not have
by the primitive directness of their carving, which
states clearly conceived plastic forms.
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