Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Soldier’s Jacket (Su’a Senakut)
India (Coromandel Coast), for the Thai market
Not on view
This tunic is a rare survivor of the type worn by the King of Siam’s royal guard. Indian dyers carefully painted the garment’s pattern onto uncut cloth, which was later tailored in Thailand. A Chinese-style cloud collar—symbolizing protection—appears above the fearful face of a grotesque demon with bulging eyes and fangs. The same face is seen in profile on each shoulder, with its jaws open wide. This Thai figure, often called Kiartimuk, is derived from the Indian planetary deity Rahu, the bringer of eclipses (“seizer of the sun and the moon”).
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