Sculpture Culture_of_Laos

bronze buddha sculptures, wat mai, luang prabang

buddhist motifs dominate lao decorative art forms. sculpture among prominent form of traditional lao art. sculptures of buddha traditionally cast in bronze, silver, gold or thong gold , silver alloy. wooden buddha images made individuals seeking merit common @ local village level. sculptures follow conventional forms , mudras found throughout theravada southeast asia, 2 forms being unusually lao in origin. common form standing buddha in “calling rain” mudra, hands @ side in downward position, , symmetrical flowing robe on both sides. less common lao mudra again standing, hands crossed in front @ wrists in “contemplation” mudra. these images have origins in sixteenth century, , further characterized longer facial features, , thinner more aquiline noses.

lao sculpted wood buddhas posed calling rain

the culturally , religiously significant sculpture in laos today phra bang gold statue city of luang pra bang takes name. according legend phra bang cast in ceylon, transferred khmer empire , came north lan xang @ request of fa ngum’s khmer queen. other historically significant buddha images include colossal bronze buddha images found in wat ong teu , wat manorom. smaller images found @ haw phra kaew, , wat sisaket in vientiane or in many temples wat visoun in luang prabang. these buddha images produced in laos , show many of hallmarks of traditional craftsmanship.

a number of significant buddha images lao history have been lost or taken during conflicts of nineteenth , twentieth century. significant “emerald buddha,” or phra kaew, resides @ grand palace in bangkok palladium of thailand. phra phutta butsavarat, or “crystal buddha,” palladium of kingdom of champasak , taken bangkok in nineteenth century. several other important images originated in kingdom of lan na taken laos king setthathirath (who briefly king of lan na) in sixteenth century. these images crafted each of daughters solid gold, , include phra sae kham (housed @ wat pho chai in nong khai, thailand), phra seum (housed @ wat patum wanaram, in bangkok, thailand), , phra souk. these images taken thai armies in nineteenth century isan , bound bangkok. ironically phra souk or “lucky buddha,” sank in mekong during storm occurred when 3 images being moved thais, legend depicted in murals @ wat pho chai. in amnat charoen province, thailand phra lao thep nimit fine example of lao sculpture resides in thailand. other sets of royal buddha images lost entirely during era of french colonialism. many sold or taken souvenirs, number of royal images lost in 1910 when french gunboat la grandiere sank on mekong en route paris exhibition.