Monk Phra Malai Preaching To The Damned In Hell - Two 19th Century Gouaches - Thailand

Gouaches on cardboard - cracks, retouching, minor losses. central fold - Mounted on cardboard. The story of the Buddhist saint Phra Malai is believed to have been imported from Sri Lanka around the 13th century. It became one of the most popular subjects in 19th-century Thai illuminated manuscripts and was often depicted in manuscripts donated to monasteries. The illuminations illustrate episodes from the monk's legendary life. Phra Malai recounts that through accumulated merit and meditation, he acquired great supernatural abilities, including the ability to travel to the various Buddhist hells. Phra Malai delivers a sermon in the hells, after which hungry ghosts implore him to urge their living relatives to perform acts of merit on their behalf. This story highlights the importance of merit being exercised by parents for their deceased ancestors and the intergenerational relationship in Buddhist salvation. The creatures surrounding Phra Malai in the illuminations include naked and emaciated denizens of hell, some with human bodies and animal heads, due to their past actions. Comes with white passe-partout, 40 x 50 cm
dimensions monk and damned 19 x 29.5 cm
dimensions monsters with animal heads: 23.3 x 30.3 cm