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continuous series of Hinayana
Buddha's in
Siam or
Thailand. In
the south,
Ayutthaya
learned
likewise
from the
Buddhism and
art
tradition of
Sukhothai.
The styles
which
prevailed
there in the
fourteenth
to sixteenth
centuries
were based
on an
amalgam of
the
classical
Sukhothai
style with
the fairly
strong
vestiges of
Khmer
traditions
among a
population
still
predominantly
Mon. It is
impossible
at present,
however, to
disentangle
the
architectural
and artistic
history of
the south at
all
satisfactorily,
since the
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necessary
archaeological
investigations on
the spot have not
been done.
It seems probable
that the majority of
important structures
and works surviving
at Ayutthaya and all
those around Bangkok
date from a period
subsequent to the
wars which the king of
Burma or Myanmar,
actually the
relationship
Thailand Myanmar in
the last few
centuries was always
bumpy. The Burmese
kings conducted
war against the Thai
kingdoms in north
and south Siam
during the later
sixteenth century.
They attempted to
palliate his gross
human cruelty by
schematic acts of
Buddhist piety
feeding monks,
distributing copies
of the scriptures,
and building pagodas
(stupas) and
monasteries.
Thus
Siamese or Thailand
Buddhist Art in
the Thai
central region were
subject to a strong
Burmese influence,
which virtually
obliterated old
native forms.
In the
north,
especially
in Lanna
Kingdom and the Thai |
Northern
Thailand
Buddhist Art |
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kingdoms of Laos,
which did not suffer
so severely from
this Burmese incursion, the
older styles
survived, developing
slowly, into modern
times. |
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It must be said
that, like the
Hinayana art of
Burma or Myanmar , the Buddhist
art of Siam or
Thailand is
interesting chiefly
in its early
formative stages.
Once the canonical
patterns were laid
down, artistic
invention virtually
ceased. Standard
types were repeated
again and again, ad
nauseam, and
architecture made no
attempt to organize
and articulate
space. There was a
positive religious
reason for this
state of affairs. In
the Buddhist world
there was long a
belief, erroneous
but potent, that an
authorized image of
the Buddha had been
carved during his
lifetime.
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Following
primitive
conceptions which
are, strictly
speaking, abhorrent
to
well-educated
Buddhists, this
image was supposed
to have absorbed
much of the Buddha's
own magical potency.
All the major images
of Buddhist shrines
were supposed to
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continuing their own
share of this
magical potency of
the original image
by virtue of their
exact likeness to
the great original.
To ensure this
likeness, immense
care was taken to
adhere as closely as
human craftsmen
could to the
iconographic
pattern, which was
reduced for safety
to a series of
diagrams,
measurements a rid
canonical
proportions. Such
differences of style
in Buddhist
Art as do occur between
the Buddha's of
different times and
places are unintentional and
unavoidable, the
natural consequence
of craftsmen
working in their own
artistic idiom. They
were only cultivated
intentionally when
an attempt was being
made to capture the
likeness of a famous
magical image in a
style which had
already evolved its
idiosyncrasy.
In countries of the
Mahayana with vital
art traditions,
such as China,
Japan and even
Tibet, the role of
creative artistic
was
admitted to be
important in the
development of
religious imagery.
In countries of the Hinayana, art was
only to
preserve and repeat,
old patterns.
The
tendency of Hinayana
Buddhism is
conservative and fundamentalist,
sticking so far as
possible to the
strict letter of
ancient canons.
Neither in religious
literature nor in
art was there any
incentive to explore
the resources of
words or for is. The
Truth had been
expressed once and
for all. To change
them would be to
lose the Truth. Buddha images in
Thailand
were popularly meant
to be repositories
of power; even today
the famous Emerald
Buddha of Bangkok is
one such. Therefore
it
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Buddhist Art
in a
Thailand
Antique Shop |
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was of
the greatest
importance to make
the images like each
other, avoiding
change. Once local rules were
established, as
close as possible to
Indian originals,
they were never
intentionally
altered.
Only in the early
stages of Hinayana
development in Siam
or Thailand
was there any scope
for adjustment. Even
the slight variation
in type which
appeared early on
were themselves
perpetual and
converted into
canonical patterns
by Buddhist piety.
As
time went on the
various great
Buddha's of Thailand
shrines acquired
their own
special
local
prestige,
and later
patrons
commissioned
images
following
the type of
one or other
of the early
masterpieces.
It was a
work of
great merit
to
commission a
Buddha
image. The
larger and
richer the
image the
greater the
merit. So
for many
centuries
Siamese or
Thai
craftsmen
have been
hard at work
producing
replicas,
large and
small, of
most of the
old
prestigious
images. Some
were for
private use.
Some were
merely to be
stored in
shrines as
permanent
testimony to
the piety of
the donor.
Of all the
mass of
works thus
fabricated
only certain
pieces in
northern
Thailand art
style are
dated. It is
therefore impossible to write
a true art-history
of Thailand,
for all the
different
types have
been
continuously
imitated
with more or
less
success,
ever since |
Northern
Thailand
Buddhist Art
Style |
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they were
first made. The
imitations have been
preserved without
date, context or
document.
- The classical
Sukhothai art
as we know
it
follows the limited
canon of Hinayana
Buddhism.
Monasteries seem to
have been
constructed chiefly
of wood, and however
beautiful they may
have been we know
nothing of them.
There must have been
a substantial
tradition of
decorative art as
well. But the only
art of which we
really do know
anything is the art
of the icon the
Buddha image. The
Sukhothai type
represents an early
attempt to establish
the Sinhalese icon
in Siam. The Mon
Buddha's of previous
centuries had
followed canons
derived from the
Buddhist art of
eastern India
Bihar and Orissa.
For this was indeed
the true homeland of
Buddhism, and its
images might have
been supposed to
adhere most closely
to the great
original pattern.
But by the time the
kingdom of Sukhothai
was established, the
Moslems had
obliterated Buddhism
in that part of
India, destroying
monasteries and
according to their
religious prejudice
all icons. In the
thirteenth and
fourteenth
centuries, when the
rulers of Sukhothai
sought to
re-establish their
connections with the
fountainhead of
Buddhism, since
Moslem India was
closed to them, they
had recourse to
Ceylon.
The distant
prototypes of the
Sukhothai images are
at Anuradhapura, not
Bodhgaya.
Characteristically
the
Sukhothai
Buddha is
conceived in
the
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Sukhothai
Art |
full-round,
with continuously
curved, smoothly
developed surfaces.
The
contours are sinuous
elegant. They lack
any clear
definition of plane.
The smooth, oval
head has elongated
features. Lips, nose
and eyebrows are
marked by dry,
smooth ridges in
high loops and
curlicues ; the head
is crowned by a
skull protuberance
which has taken on a
long pointed shape,
like a flame.
The
drapery has been
reduced to nothing
but marks at wrists
and ankles, plus a
single stole-like
fold-pattern, with a
decorative tail,
running forward over
the left shoulder
down to the navel.
The true Sukhothai
image has a vivid,
linear life of its
own, which many of
the copies of all
dates entirely fail
to capture. The
Buddha either sits
in the
'earth-touching'
attitude, or stands,
one foot forward,
right
hand raised to the
middle of the chest;
this latter type
evolved a boneless
sinuosity all its
own.
These
Sukhothai
Buddha image were
subject to two major
stylistic
developments, one in
the southern region
of Siam, the other
in the northern
region, following
the trends of
history. Ayutthaya, in
the south, took over
Sukhothai in 1349,
and adopted many
aspects of Sukhothai
culture; for it was
recognized that
through Sukhothai
link with Ceylon
flowed the genuine
milk of Buddhist
tradition. In the
southern region
there had survived
clear vestiges of
Khmer and old Mon
traditions, where
Buddha types were
marked by a strong
sense of squared-off
design and cubic
volume. The Sukhothai image
combined with this
type to produce what
is known as the
U-Tong type. In many ways
this is
aesthetically the
most successful of
all the Siamese
or Thai types. For the
excessive febrile
elegance of the
Sukhothai type is
strengthened by the
Mon -
Khmer
conception. The
sinuous linear
curves, loops and
dry ridges of the
pure Sukhothai
originals are
suppressed, and
genuine modeling
appears. In the northern
region the Sukhothai
type was probably
first taken over
when the brother of
King Gulp, in the
late fourteenth
century, acquired by
means of a military
campaign
When Tiloka came to the
throne of Lanna in
1441, he made his
determined effort to
purify northern Thai
Buddhism, and
actually imported
monks, texts and art
direct from Ceylon.
A new image or
images straight from
Ceylon must have
showed clearly how
distant from the
Sinhalese traditions
the Sukhothai type
of image had grown.
A new pattern was
now established,
called by Griswold
the `Lion type', which is
a far more accurate
representation
of the then current
Sinhalese type of
Buddha. In it the
body loses its
sinuous softness and
takes on a greater
massiveness and
cylindrical
strength.
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Sukhothai
Buddha Image
Sukhothai |
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The
features are
not marked
by linear
ridges
and curves
but modeled
plastically.
It seems,
however,
that the
native Thai
genius is
always for
the sinuous
curve. And
so in the
later
examples of
the Lion
type of
image the
curvilinear
patterns of
the
Sukhothai
style
reasserted
themselves
with more or
less
emphasis.
The type
persisted between
about 1470 and 1565.
But it must be
stressed that, since
images in other and
earlier styles were
already in
existence, revered
and imitated at the
time the Lion type
was established, the
Lion type cannot be
said to have
superseded the
others entirely. Its
imitations may have
preponderated in the
northern cities, but
elsewhere in Siam
other types
survived, their
characteristics
imperceptibly
blending as the
centuries wore on.
The Sukhothai type
especially became
the dominant
formula.
One type of early
structural monument
has survived in the
north.
This is a
brick-built shrine
for a Buddha image.
For example, Wat
Chet Yot, Chiang Mai, consists
of a wide rather low
chamber with a
portico and recessed
corners, on the
faces of which stand
two tiers of
identical Buddha
figures in low
relief. The roof
carries at its
centre a tall,
four-sided pyramidal
tower, crowned by a
bell stupa. Smaller
versions of the
tower stand at the
corners of the roof.
As architecture such
a shrine has little
serious claim to
attention, since the
volumes and spaces
are not at all
articulated or
developed. It is
quite likely that
such structures,
some of them quite
large, may have been
the original shrines
at many of the major
northern
monasteries, But
continuous
restoration has
mostly obliterated
them. In the central
region there
are a number of
imposing medieval
buildings.
|
Chiang Mai
Wat |
The
oldest building to
survive in Ayutthaya,
from early in the
thirteenth century,
is the Wat Bhuddai
Svarya. This is a
towered shrine,
approached by a
columned hall. But
types invented in
Sukhothai
predominated from
the late fourteenth
century onward.
These included a stupa raised upon a
cylindrical shrine
as its drum,
surrounded by
reliquary structures. In the
following century it
seems that the Thai
kings were adapting
something of the
personal funeral
cult of Angkor, for
the custom rapidly
grew of building, as
their own tombs,
bell-shaped stupas,
each approached by a
colonnaded hall and
surrounded by
smaller stupas or
little shrines,
raised on a single
high plinth and
enclosed within a
wall. An
evolutionary series
of such structures
can be traced at
Ayutthaya, beginning
with the
Wat Phra Ram
(mid-fourteenth
century or later),
the Wat Phra
Mahathat (c. 1374),
through the Wat Rat Burana (1424) to the
best and most
complete, Wat Sri Sanpet, made about
the end of the
fifteenth century.
The stupas begin to
consolidate the
Siamese pagoda
pattern, with a
convex progressive
inward curve to the
dome. An interesting
feature of these
structures is that,
like some Sinhalese
stupas, they each
contain hidden
within the dome of
the stupa a small
chamber, decorated
inside with
wall-paintings,
containing a whole
collection of votive
objects, many of
them precious,
including arms and
jewels. It
is said that the
style of the
painting shows
strong influence
from China,
especially in the
landscapes with
hills on a high
horizon line, palace
pavilions that frame
views, and animals
among natural
scenery. Colors are
bright, and the
contours of the
figures are clear
and fluent, perhaps
also owing something
to Khmer painting,
of which nothing is
known.
The paintings
at Wat Rat Burana
(c. 1424) consist
mainly of overlapped
rows of worshippers,
with Buddhas
enthroned, or, most
interesting, in
profile. The colors
are vermilion,
yellow-green and
gold. At Wat Mahathat at Ratburi
erected about fifty
years later
there are similar
processional scenes.
The only precursors
of this type of art
in Siam or Thailand are some
ruined fragments of
painting in a cave
at Yala, and some
incised panels at
Wat Si Chum ; at
Sukhothai, dated to
the late thirteenth
century.
The last phase of
Siamese or Thailand
Buddhist art reached
its apogee during
the seventeenth
century, after the
incursions of the
Burmese.
Burmese art had made
its impact,
especially on the
pattern of the
wooden structural
halls associated
with palaces and
monasteries. The
roof pattern
characteristic in
modern Siam emerged. This is
a type similar to
others found in
other countries of
Southeast Asia. It
has high gables,
with long, steep,
tiled roofs, and
overhanging eaves,
the ends of the
ridge-pole marked by
long, pointed
flamboyant finish.
Diminishing sections
of hall and roof are
stepped-out from
under each other,
and the roof-slopes
themselves are
stepped. Similar
roofing appears in
Khmer monuments.
Porticos win similar
roofs are
articulated into the
sides of these roof structures. Walls
are of brick and
stucco, and may
carry quite long
stretches of rather
monotonous Buddhist
wall-painting.
When the capital was
moved to Bangkok in
1767, no substantial
artistic development
took place, though
large pagodas were
built. A highly
ornate
reinterpretation of
older style.
Unfortunate attempts
were made to imitate
Khmer styles of
sculpture. Much
gold, lacquer and
inlay of shell and
glass, were applied
to many of the
furnishings. The central
hall of the pagoda
and the area
around it contained
many Buddha figures,
often from plaster and
of most inferior
quality.
A special
hall often housed a
large image of the
Buddha lying on his
right side, his face
on
his right palm,
about to enter
Nirvana at his
bodily death. This
icon plays an
important role in
the Buddhist scheme
of life and death,
but no single
example has any
aesthetic merit.
Many of the
buildings and their
ornament have a
strongly Chinese
aspect.
This is not
surprising, in view
of the large
expatriate Chinese
population of
Bangkok and its
environs. But there
was one most
important artistic
factor involved.
Many of the pagodas
have glazed tiles.
Some are certainly
imported from China,
but others are
descendants of the
fine ceramics in
Chinese style
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produced at the
kilns of Sawankhalok
during the
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries
by expatriate
Chinese craftsmen.
The Sawankhalok
celadon
pottery imitates in
its own materials
Yuan celadons, with underglaze ornament,
and grey or brown
painted decoration
reminiscent of Tzu
Chou ware. Some of
these pieces are, in
their own idiom, as
fine as the finest
native Chinese work. Among the products
of these kilns were
architectural
ceramic pieces,
local versions of
types used in China.
These, in more
garish hues, became
very popular during
the Bangkok period. |
Sawankhalok
celadon from
the Nanyang
Shipwreck
off the
coast of
Malaysia |
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The Collection in the Museum of Buddhist Art A Rare Collection of
Buddha Statues
The Museum of
Buddhist Art in Bangkok is reputed to have the most comprehensive
collection of Buddha statues, sculptures and figurines of Buddhist
art work from kingdoms dating back to the 6th century AD. The art
reflect the cultural heritage of the various kingdoms in Thailand
and neighboring kingdoms as well.
Visitors to the Museum of Buddhist Art could start their tour
in an annex to the main building that houses the Kuan Yin Palace and
Museum which displays statues of Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. The
courtyard outside this museum has six miniature wooden palaces
housing Chinese deities.
The main theme of the Museum of Buddhist Art, however, is housed in
eight rooms upstairs in the main building displaying Buddha statues,
sculptures and figurines from the different kingdoms that had an
impact on Thai art and culture.
The various schools of Buddhist art of each era blended with the
previous and added its distinct touch. Detailed explanations are
provided for the Buddha statues, their characteristics, different
postures and subtle variations in the folds of the robes.
The museum is a useful source of knowledge for the scholar of
Buddhist art and Buddha sculptures. The casual visitor, seeking an
overview of an important aspect of Thai culture, would find this
museum interesting as well.
- Buddhist
art from the various kingdoms displayed in the Museum of Buddhist
Art
DvaraWati art
(6th 11th centuries AD)
DvaraWati art is based on the culture of the United Kingdom of
DvaraWati in Nakhon Phahom, Central Thailand established by the Mon
from Burma. The Buddhist art work of this period is based on the
Southern India and Sri Lanka models.
Srivijaya art (7th 14th centuries)
The Srivijaya kingdom covered Sumatra, Java, the Malay Peninsula and
Southern Thailand, right up to Surat Thani and Nakhon Sri Thammarat.
The art form from this era had a rich mix of Indian, Khmer, Sri
Lanka, Java and Sumatra cultures.
Khmer art (11th - 19th centuries)
From 6th 14th centuries, the Khmer Empire in Cambodia ruled over
Laos and northeastern Thailand (Isarn). Khmer art was to have an
enduring legacy on Buddhist art work for centuries to come.
Burmese art (11th - 19th centuries)
Burmese art evolved from the various ethnic groups in the ancient
Burmese kingdom of Pagan. The Burmese, Mon, Arakan, Tai-yai kingdoms
developed Buddhist art during their respective reigns. All these
groups had an influence on Thai art.
Sukhothai art (13th 15th centuries)
Art flourished in the Sukhothai Kingdom under the reign of King
Ramkhamhaeng. Classic Sukhothai art soon emerged from the Khmer
influence and established its unique style.
Ayuthaya art (1350 1767)
The exhibits on Ayuthaya art in the Museum of Buddhist Art
represents the longest period in Thai art. Pre-Ayuthaya art was a
combination of Khmer art of the Bayon period (the Bayon temples in
Cambodia) and DvaraWati art, a mixture which was known as U Thong
Art.
The establishment of Ayuthaya produced a blend of Khmer and
Sukhothai styles which gradually evolved into its own distinctive
character in the 16th century.
Lanna art (13th - 20th centuries)
The Lanna kingdom (Land of a Million Fields) was established by King
Mengrai in northern Thailand in 1296. Pure Lanna art developed when
the kingdom was independent. Lanna came under Burmese rule and later
under Thai rule. The Buddha statues during these periods had their
subtle differences.
Lan Xang art (14th 18th centuries)
The Lan Xang kingdom (Land of a Million Elephants) was founded by
King Fah Ngum in the 14th century after the fall of Sukhothai. The
kingdom covered present day Laos and parts of northeastern Thailand.
King Fah Ngum made Buddhism the state religion and so began an art
form that also left its mark on Buddhist art.
Thonburi art (1767 1782)
Thonburi art had a brief period as the kingdom lasted for only 15
years.
Rattanakosin art (1782 present)
What followed was Rattanakosin art of the modern Bangkok era. The
Buddha statues and sculptures during the reign of the Chakri Kings
developed a distinct identity of their own.
The other eight rooms in the Museum of Buddhist Art are not directly
related to the central theme but are equally interesting. These
cover artifacts from the pre-historic Ban Chiang culture, Yao
paintings, stone sculptures.
An unusual set of exhibits in this museum is the room displaying
statues of Jesus Christ and Mother Mary, a reflection of the
religious tolerance in Buddhist society.
The Museum of Buddhist Art embodies not just the art and culture
evolved for more than a millennium through the rise and fall of
several kingdoms. It symbolizes the philosophy of moderation and
tolerance, values that serve as a beacon of light in these troubled
times.
For more Bangkok Museums.
The Museum of Buddhist Art first appeared in Tour Bangkok Legacies a
historical travel site on people, places and events that left their
mark in the landscape of Bangkok.
The author Eric Lim, a free-lance writer, lives in Bangkok Thailand.
Buddhist Art northern Thailand Thai Bronze Sculpture |
Buddhist Art northern Thailand Thai Sculpture with Head Gear
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