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Sculpture
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People
have settled in the northeast of Thailand since prehistoric times.
Artistically, the area is host to a wide mix of regional styles.
The style most distinctive to the region is undoubtedly that of
the Khmers, which inhabited the entire northeastern region and beyond
from the 7th through to the 13th centuries.
Khmer
and Lopburi Sculpture
The Lopburi style is actually the name given to Khmer art in Thailand.
The Khmer people settled in what is now northeastern Thailand and
Cambodia in about the 6th century AD. The Khmers developed a powerful
empire that controlled much of present-day Thailand during the 7th
to mid 13th centuries. The town of Lopburi in central Thailand was
a major seat of administration for the Khmers.
Khmer
sculpture was produced mainly in stone and bronze and often featured
Hindu gods, Bodhisattvas or Tantric (Vajrayana) Buddhist deities.
Buddha images were often featured seated on the coils of the seven-headed
Muchalinda, the great 'naga'. Crowned Buddha images were popular
while the face tended to be square with almost straight eyebrows.
Perhaps
the most distinctive examples of Khmer sculpture are the stone lintels
that ornamented the entrances to temples. The lintels often depicted
Hindu stories such as the re-creation of the universe by the Hindu
Gods Vishnu and the four-faced Brahma. Mythical creatures such as
nagas (serpents), garudas (half-man, half-bird) and lions or singhs,
guardians of the gates of temples, featured prominently in Khmer
art.
For more
information on sculpture in other regions see:
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