A finely carved wooden sculpture of a Buddhist angel in the Northern Thai style. It is covered in natural lacquer, gold leaf, polychrome, and glass mirror "jewels" embedded in the surface. Teak provides a durable foundation as it is impervious to insects and resistant to moisture. Some yellow-gold paint is also present in the topmost layer, indicating that the piece was carefully maintained over a long period of time. The chalky paint on the face was also renewed periodically as an act of devotion. Angels were a favorite subject of Thai sculptors because they were given a lot of freedom in depicting them. This angel has an expression of benign intelligence and the hands are particularly well-formed. Given its seated position, it was likely to have been part of a larger altar ensemble, including larger and more prominent Buddha images...
Category
19th Century Antique Thai Folk Art