A
Ayutthaya Buddha in meditation gesture. His austere countenance seems to smolder
and glow, highlighting the smooth roundness, the full features and numinous smile
of perfect bliss. This statue is an instrument for such realization; it is heavily
silver gilded and richly ornamented in a king's garments, the armbands, bracelets
and anklets. Flames rise on all four levels of the base, up the center of the
robe, and at the shoulders and lower terminals of the crown.
In the 10th Century King Ramathibodi I established the Ayutthaya Kingdom,
which lasted until it was overtaken by Burma in the 18th Century. By this time
the Buddha image in Thailand was distinguished by the flame on the headdress and
the many layered flaming base, and kingly dress had become the standard. Yet the
treatment overall owes its inspiration to the Sukhothai style, which defined the
ancient forms that still characterize Thai art.
