Untitled

Unknown

late 14th–15th century · Stoneware with iron-brown underglaze décor · Asian Art

This architectural finial for a temple has assumed the form of a mythical dragon creature, clearly derived from the Indic makara but with strong indigenous elements, such as the prominence given to the snake-like body rather than that of the more traditional crocodile. Here the bearded dragon appears to emerge from the jaws of a makara, represented at the base of the finial. Temple building at Sukhothai was in both laterite and fired brick, rendered with a thick dressing of stucco and with the addition of architectural adornments and antefixes in both sandstone and, as seen here, in glazed ceramic.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 14th–15th century

Medium

Stoneware with iron-brown underglaze décor

Culture

North-central Thailand, Sukhothai kilns

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Samuel and Gabrielle Lurie, 2019