Head of a Buddha

At a time when many areas of Thailand were coming under Cambodian Khmer domination, the kingdom of Haripunjaya remained under the influence of Mon culture and art though its contact with the Burmese kingdoms of Pagan and Pegu. Haripunjaya ceramics included elegant earthenware vessels with delicate slip inlays and Buddhist votive plaques and sculptures. Some of the earthenware sculptures are quite large, made for installation in the niches of pyramidal structures such as those at Wat Ku Kut in Lamphun. Artisans made many of these images using molds, for both efficiency and consistency of appearance. The broad, squarish face, continuous undulating eyebrows, serene smile, and naturalistic cranium that lacks a pronounced ushnisha (crown of hair) are all features that distinguish the later Haripunjaya Buddhas.