Khmer Stone Lion

Material Information

Title:
Khmer Stone Lion
Series Title:
Objects of instruction : treasures of SOAS
Alternate Title:
Singha
Alternate Title:
สิงห์
Donor:
On loan from Elizabeth Moore.
Place of Publication:
Buriram, Thailand
Publication Date:
Measurements:
H26 x L19.5 x W10.5 cm in

Notes

Abstract:
Lions were used as city or temple guardians in the pre-modern Khmer stone architecture of Northeast Thailand and Cambodia. The closest likenesses to the newly carved lion seen here are at Khmer temples in Northeast Thailand. For instance, at the eleventh to twelfth-century Prasat Hin Phimai, two lions guard the first level of the south entrance. The beauty of Khmer stone carving and the high prices it commands have prompted illegal export of many pieces from Thailand and Cambodia in recent decades, particularly from the monumental complex at Angkor. Among the many efforts to counter this illicit trade have been small workshops such as the one in Buriram, Northeast Thailand, where this piece was carved. (Text by John T. Carpenter and Yoshiko Yasumura, from the exhibition catalogue: Objects of instruction : treasures of the School of Oriental and African Studies, Anna Contadini, Editor. London : SOAS, University of London, 2007.) ( en )
General Note:
The 'Objects of instruction : the treasures of SOAS' exhibition was funded through a generous gift from the Foyle Foundation and with the support of the Arts & Humanities Research Council.
General Note:
Source: A. Contadini (ed.), Objects of instruction : treasures of the School of Oriental and African Studies. London : SOAS, University of London, 2007. Listed as item number: 45

Record Information

Source Institution:
SOAS, University of London
Holding Location:
Brunei Gallery
Rights Management:
All applicable rights reserved by the source institution and holding location.