Buddhist Sculpture of Northern Thailand

The art of the Northern kingdoms of Thailand was Buddhist, and the Buddha image was at its core. The purpose of traditional Buddhist art was not to delight the eye or decorate,' but to remind, enlighten, and instruct. For many years art historians considered the sculpture of Northern Thailand, or Lan Na, to be a minor tradition. This volume shows that Lan Na sculpture is an enormous body of work beginning with the Mon-Hariphunchai period of the eleventh century, through the Classic period of Lan Na's Golden Age in the fifteenth century, up until Lan Na's integration'