The Head of Phra Saen Swae

Keywords : Head of Buddha image , Lanna art, , Phra Chao Saen Sae, Wat Yang Kong, Phra Saenswae, The Head of Phra Chao Saenswae

Artwork alternative name	The Head of Phra Saenswae, The Head of Phra Saen Sae
Site common name	Chiang Mai National Museum
Type of artwork	Sculpture
Sub district	Chang Phueak
District	Mueang Chiang Mai
Province	Chiang Mai
Region	North
Country	Thailand
Geographic Coordinates Decimal degree	Lat : 18.811134 Long : 98.976711
Geographic Coordinates UTM	Zone : 47 Q Hemisphere : N E : 497546.13 N : 2079930.27
Place of artwork	In the exhibition hall

History of production	No history appears, originally found at Wat Yang Guang, Chiang Mai Province. Later, it was brought to Wat Benchamabophit but does not appear in the history of Buddha statues around the balcony of Wat Benchamabophit because it is housed under a tree outside the balcony. Later, when the Chiang Mai National Museum was established, it was on display in the museum. It has forms that can determine the age in the 21st Buddhist century.
Production process	Bronze casting
Size	1.7 meters high
Art	The Head of Phra Saen Swae resembles a mask. It has a round face, arched eyebrows, small look down eyes, slightly open mouth, knot jaw and big knot hairs.
School	Chiang Mai - Lamphun
Key academic information	The example of the largest Buddha image head in Lanna art.
Notice	Although there is no record of the history, the form can be analyzed and it can determine that it has an art form like Phra Singh and the age of approximately 1457 years where it was the time when forming Phra Singh became the most popular. Nevertheless, the large Buddha statue should only be built by a high-powered monarch such as King Tilokaraj. Besides, during this reign there was also a making of a large Buddha image such as Phra Chao Kaeng Kom if Wat Sri Koet. Therefore, Phra Saen Swae may have been made during the reign of King Tilokaraj, early 21st Buddhist century. The word “Swae” in the northern Thai language means latch or bolt that is used to fasten or weld many materials together. The word “Saen Swae” therefore means a hundred thousand latch or bolt which are used to assemble various parts of the Buddha image together because this Buddha image is very huge.
Period	Historical Period
Art period	Lanna
Age	21st Buddhist Century
Religion	Buddhism
Sect	Theravada
Religion and belief	Theravada
Related artwork	1. The Head of Phra Saen Swae at Hariphunchai National Museum, Lamphun is an example of a Buddha image head that looks exactly the same but it is much smaller in size. 2. Phra Chao Kao Tue of Wat Buppharam, Chiang Mai province is another example of a large Buddha image in Lanna art But should be made after Phra Saen Swae.

Type of License	Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND)
Rights	Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre
Date of record creation	2016-05-15
Record creator	Rungroj Thamrungraeng
Bibliography	ศักดิ์ชัย สายสิงห์. พระพุทธรูปในประเทศไทย : รูปแบบ พัฒนาการ และความเชื่อของคนไทย. กรุงเทพฯ: ภาควิชาประวัติศาสตร์ศิลปะ คณะโบราณคดี มหาวิทยาลัยศิลปากร, 2556. ศักดิ์ชัย สายสิงห์. “เศียรพระแสนแส้ : พระพุทธรูปที่ถูกตรึงพระโอษฐ์ในพิพิธภัณฑสถานแห่งชาติ เชียงใหม่.” ศิลปวัฒนธรรม. 23, 9 (กรกฎาคม 2545), 142 – 144. H.R.H. Damrong Rajanubhab. “Wat Benchamabopit and its collection of Images of the Buddha”, JSS. Vol. I, Bangkok, 1954, pp. 243 – 248.