The State Hermitage Museum: Exhibitions

Buddha Maravijaya - the"Buddha who vanquished Mara" - a name given in Siam to the episode in which Gautama called upon the Earth goddess to bear witness and gained victory over Mara, the lord of evil forces.
Pass to Glossary

Siamese sculpture in the Hermitage

Need help with HotMedia?

Kneeling adorer

Bangkok

Late 18th - early 19th century

Teak (Tectona grandis Linn), gilding, traces of dark blue paint

Height: 50.3 cm

The adorer's clothing reflects the changes in fashion that took place in the second half of the 18th century. A crown of this sort, for example, with a sharp, two-stage pinnacle, "banged" on the head, as it were, first made its appearance in the art of Ayutthaya in the 18th-century, and by the 19th century had completely superseded the type of crown with a "back piece". The clothing enveloping the thighs was conveyed by blue paint, of which only dark patches survive. The various adornments found on the figure of the adorer can be found on works from as far back as the reign of Rama I.

Copyright © 2006 State Hermitage Museum
All rights reserved. Image Usage Policy.
About the Site

Kneeling adorer
Larger view

Adorer - a deity in a pose of worship: the palms of the hands pressed together in front of the chest.
Pass to Glossary

Ayutthaya - the capital of a Siamese state of the same name (1350-1767) that united the whole of Siam with the exception of the Far North.
Pass to Glossary

Rama I - General Chakri (1782-1809), the founder of the Chakri dynasty that still reigns today. The founder of Bangkok, the capital of Siam. A talented statesman who did much to unify and strengthen the state. In the sphere of art he sought to preserve and continue Ayutthaya tradition.
Pass to Glossary