Lop Buri Arts
Lop Buri art refers to sculpture of the central valley 11th – 13th C [ the capital of which was and so remains today, the city of Lop Buri ]. Works of architecture were Khmer.
The Lop Buri art school is distinguished by its Mon influence and being a Buddhist religious center, its principal subjects are the Buddha and Boddhisatvas, unlike the Khmer who focused on Hindu deities
Lop Buri and Khmer works of art can be found throughout Thailand and the best examples include the 12th C Crowned Buddha on Naga found at Wat Na Phra Men at Ayuthaya [ 12th C ] as below, the Bodhisattva Head, 8th C Khmer Kompong Prae style found at Nakhon Ratchasima Province and the various bronze Bodhisattva found at Prakhon Chai [ 8th – 9th C ].
Khmer Art In Thailand
Introduction To Khmer Art & Architecture
Khmer and Lop Buri art refers to the art of the Khmer people. In the 6th C the Khmer settled North Eastern Thailand [ I 'san ] and the area which today is Cambodia. Lop Buri, a town in the central Chao Phraya Valley was the major city for Khmer administration in Thailand. The Khmer Empire ruled Thailand from 7th C until the mid 13th C. Khmer culture was dominant between the 11th – 13th C, particularly in the East [ I 'san ], such as at Phimai and Phnom Rung.
In the prior period the Khmer Empire was divided between the Upper Chenla on the Mun River Basin and Lower Chenla. The art of Upper Chenla is referred to as Kompong style [ 8th – 9th C ]. The art of the later period is referred to as the Bayon Style. Following the death of Jayavarman the 7th, in 1219 Khmer power faded and the Kingdom of Sukhothai emerged as the dominant political force.
Khmer art in Thailand is varied. There was the pre-Angkorian period of 7th – 10th C, when Khmer Temples and monuments were constructed in I 'san, the Angkor period until 13th C when the Khmer ruled parts of Thailand and the prior cultural domination of the Mon Dvaravati waned in the 11th C and later when Thai artists copied or were aesthetically influenced to create a merged style we call Lop Buri.