Description
Pair of Thai temple birds in gilded bronze with bells. Thailand, 19th century.
The hong—the sacred bird of the Thai Buddhist tradition, derived from the celestial swan hamsa of Hindu cosmology—is among the most recurring subjects in the sacred art of Southeast Asia. Associated with purity and transcendence, it was placed inside temples as a decorative and votive element. The two examples, cast in bronze and covered with lacquer gilding, present the subject’s typical ceremonial rendering: an ovoid body covered with scales and finely chiseled spiral motifs, an elongated neck that curves upward and ends in a serpentine head, and a fan-shaped tail with stylized feathers. The side wings, rendered in openwork, display an ornamental repertoire of volutes and flames characteristic of Rattanakosin temple production. Hanging from each neck by a metal wire is a bronze bell with a pointed leaf-shaped clapper, intended to produce auspicious sounds. Each piece rests on a truncated conical pedestal decorated with a band, mounted on a modern black lacquered wooden base.
Condition report: Lacquer gilding with widespread flaking and surface oxidation of the bronze, consistent with the piece’s religious use and age. Some missing sections in the openwork parts of the wings. Modern wooden base in good condition.
