Thailand, Ratanakosin period, early 19th century Phra Malai visiting Hell, cast standing on a lotus base, wearing samghati and facing various emaciated figures and animals, the central figure surrounded by severed heads, the front of the base with a skeleton.
Dimensions Height: 11 in. / 28 cm
Provenance Provenance: Property from the Collection of Jameson J. Wood
Notes Note: Phra Malai is a legendary Buddhist monk whose stories are popular in the canon of Thai Theravada Buddhism. Phra Malai, according to the various versions of the story, was a Buddhist monk who accumulated so much merit that he acquired great supernatural abilities. Using his powers, he traveled to the various Buddhist hells, where he meets the suffering denizens and is implored to have their living relatives make merit on their behalf. He later traveled to the heavenly realm of the devas, where he meets Indra and Maitreya, who instruct him further in merit-making.
