In the Ayutthaya style proper the
heritage of Sukhothai came to outweigh that of the Khmer, but
the U-Thong form never completely vanished and the Buddha images
of this period are scarcely comparable to the achievements of
Sukhothai's Golden Age. Faces in particular tended to be lifeless
and artists were generally content to copy in the true sense
of the word. Some distinction was achieved, however, in the late
Ayutthaya period when crowned Buddhas or Buddhas in royal attire,
were popular but even here the decoration is more distinguished
than the portrayal of the features and characteristics of the
Buddha.
Ayutthaya fell to the Burmese in
1767 and the following -- and current -- period of Thai art,
that of Bangkok, dates from the establishment of present capital
in 1782. During the first reign of the current Chakri dynasty
few new Buddha images were produced and temples were decorated
with statues, generally in Sukhothai, U-Thong and Ayutthaya styles,
that were collected from around the country. Some of the best
examples of these can be seen today in the galleries of Bangkok's
Wat Po.
In the reigns of King Rama II (1809-1824)
and King Rama III (1824-1851) crowned Buddhas were produced but,
as with those of Ayutthaya, more emphasis was given to the decoration
than the facial expression. Yet one masterpiece does date from
the reign of King Rama III and that is the giant statue of the
reclining Buddha enshrined at Wat Po. Its massive size tends
to overpower more aesthetic considerations but it is nonetheless
an extremely serene image.
Increasingly in the Bangkok period
artists have tended to produce more lifelike images and while
certain traditional characteristics, such as the flame halo and
extended ear lobes, are shown, the overall effect is that of
a more humanized figure. A fine example of this is the standing
Buddha that was made in 1957 to commemorate the 2500th anniversary
of Buddhism and is today housed in the National Museum at Bangkok.
Indeed it is the National Museum
(open Wed-Sun 09.00-16.00) that provides the best introduction
to any appreciation of Thailand's Buddha images. Statues from
all periods are represented here, affording a ready comparison
of styles which aids an understanding of differences encountered
in images seen at temples around the country.
The comparison of styles and artistic
achievement in the production of Buddha images adds a intriguing
dimension to touring Thailand's cultural sights, but it should
be remembered that all Buddha statues are sacred objects. That
many also possess great beauty is a reflection both of the nature
of the religion and of the devotion of the Thai people.
