Buddha with Attendants on Mythical Animal

Arts of Asia

Dvaravati period, 7th‒8th century

Thailand, Lopburi province

This distinctive composition belongs to the early culture of Dvaravati, which flourished in what is now Thailand during the 7th and 8th centuries. Both Hinduism and Buddhism were practiced in the region, which was heavily influenced by India. The work features a Buddha standing on a lotus pedestal atop a mythical winged and horned creature. The central figure is flanked by two attendants with bare chests and wearing elaborate hairstyles and jewelry. This type of composition may have been attached to a larger stone carving of a “wheel of the law” (dharmachakra) symbolizing the essence of the Buddhist teachings.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of Asia

Artist: Pre-Angkorean
Title: Buddha with Attendants on Mythical Animal
Place: Thailand (Object found in:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 601 CE–800 CE
Medium: Sandstone
Dimensions: 43.5 × 32.3 × 14 cm (17 1/8 × 12 3/4 × 5 1/2 in.)
Credit Line: Marian and Samuel Klasstorner Fund
Reference Number: 1997.53
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/147004/manifest.json

Subhadradis Diskul, M.C. (หม่อมเจ้าสุภัทรดิศ ดิสกุล), “The Exhibition of Masterpieces from Private Collections Displayed at Bangkok National Museum from the 6th March-6th April 1968”, โบราณคดี/Archaeology, vol. 2, no. 1 (1968), 82‒84, fig. 3.
Subhadradis Diskul, M.C., Masterpieces from Private Collections Displayed at the Bangkok National Museum from the 6th March-6th April 1968 (Bangkok: Silpakorn University, 1970), 2‒3, fig. 3.
Pratapaditya Pal, Light of Asia: Buddha Sakyamuni in Asian Art (Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1984), 284, cat. 150.
James Wood & Debra Mancoff, Treasures from the Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 2000), 59 (image only).

Bangkok National Museum, Thailand, นิทรรศการศิลปโบราณวัตถุชิ้นเอก จากพิพิธภัณฑ์ส่วนบุคคล ณ พิพิธภัณฑสถานแห่งชาติ พ.ศ. 2511; Masterpieces from Private Collections, Mar. 6–Apr. 6, 1968.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Light of Asia: Buddha Sakyamuni in Asian Art, Mar. 4–May 20, 1984; The Art Institute of Chicago, June 30–Aug. 26, 1984; The Brooklyn Museum, Nov. 1, 1984–Feb. 10, 1985.

With Dhada Vanichsombat (1912‒2009), Thai Antiquarium, Bangkok, Thailand, by Apr. 1968 [Bangkok 1968]. With Lawrence R. Phillips (1917‒2013), Roslyn, New York, by Mar. 1984 [Los Angeles 1984]; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 10, 1997.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.