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The art of Thailand is intertwined to the Buddhist religious practices of the country and in turn the evolution of Thai Buddhist practice and imagery has been closely linked to the country’s historical development. Each period of history has developed its own stylized Buddha images that have distinctive characteristics.

Theravada Buddhism reached the country nearly 1500 years ago, but surviving artworks from that era also show the presence of Mahayana and Hindu practices. The first uniquely Thai and Theravada Buddhist kingdom was Sukhothai (13th-14th century).

Under royal patronage, pilgrims and scholars visited the Buddhist Mon kingdom in Southern Burma and then Sri Lanka to study methods of practice and to bring relics for worship. Their refined beliefs are reflected in Sukhothai's graceful artistic style representing the Buddha as an ethereal figure. A soft appearance without clearly defined bones or muscles creates an asexual appearance emphasizing the Buddha's conquest of physical desire. A flame-like protrusion from the top of the head symbolizes the Buddha's endlessly radiant spiritual energy. The most famous Sukhothai images show the walking Buddha, a representation of the Buddha's return from a visit to his mother in Heaven.

Sukhothai's grandeur was relatively brief; it was supplanted by the Ayuthaya kingdom in central Thailand (15th to 18th Century). Ayuthaya art became increasingly ornate and Buddha images were often embellished with crowns and elaborate decorations evoking a popular folktale about the humbling of the proud King Jambupati. One of the Buddha's followers

was being harassed by Jambupati. The Buddha perceived that in spite of this behavior, Jambupati had the potential to lead a virtuous life so the Buddha prepared a magical castle in the path of Jambupati's travels and waited there in magical garments more fabulous than anything the king had ever imagined. Upon seeing such indescribable luxuries, Jambupati realized the emptiness of his greedy and arrogant lifestyle and became a humble follower of the Buddha's teaching.

During the time of the Sukothai and Ayuthaya dynasties of Central Thailand there also existed the Kingdom of Lanna in Northern Thailand whose cultural and political capital was the city of Chiang Mai. The Kingdom of Lanna had it’s own distinctive style of art derived from

a close relationship with Burma that intertwined with the way of life in Lanna, due to the proliference of Burmese traders and employees within the Lanna Kingdom. The Lanna art style thus; can be seen to have been heavily influenced by the Burmese art style and also the Sukothai art style. While the Kingdom of Lanna was at the height

of its powers during the late 15th and 16th centuries, the art style was at its peak and showed the distinctiveness and quality of the Lanna art style. But as the power of the kingdom diminished so did the quality of the art.

The Ayuthaya period ended abruptly with a Burmese conquest in 1767 that burned the capital and carried large numbers of craftsmen back to the Burmese capital. The current Thai kingdom was formed at Bangkok in 1782 (The Rattankosin Period). Initially Bangkok period culture followed the Ayuthaya legacy, however an important shift occurred during the reign of King Mongkut (1851-1868). Prior to his surprise ascension to the throne, Mongkut was a Buddhist monk for 27 years and he became dissatisfied with the prevalence of superstitious beliefs in Thai Buddhism. He launched a campaign to purify religious practice and place it on a more logical and intellectual foundation. The Dhammayutika school of Thai monks that he founded remains smaller than the Mahanika school that retains more folk practices, but the Dhammayutika school is considered more prestigious and pure. It is also the practice that seems most accessible to Westerners. In conjunction with the changes in education and practice, there was a reform in the presentation of religious imagery to remove magical aspects and

portray the Buddha more simply as a human being without visual representation of supernatural properties such as the flame-like finial or royal regalia.

The split between the two main schools of monks also affects the perception of the meaning of Buddha images. The rational Dhammayutika School describes images as "reminders of doctrine." They serve an educational purpose by reminding people of significant moments in he Buddha's life and lessons from Buddha's teaching. In an interesting experiment, court craftsmen expanded the traditional 6 postures used in making Buddha images by adding 39 more associated with particular lessons, but the idea did not prove popular and nearly all-modern images are made in the 6 basic forms.

In contrast to the Dhammayutika practice, the popular Mahanika practice blends Buddhist beliefs with animist notions of the presence of spirits and unseen powers. Individual images may have a life force derived from the natural material from which they were made, from the effect of the powerful original image used as a basis for the design, or imparted during a ceremony in which newly made images are brought to a monastery in order to be blessed or animated. In some cases the spirit of an image may behave in a spiteful or petty manner completely at odds with Buddhist teaching. Images that are flattered and given respect with generous offerings may bring good fortune. Lottery ticket vendors wait outside many Thai temples so that visitors may immediately reap some benefit from their offerings.