table decoration, the height of this exhibit is 46.0cm, the thai (siam) art collection showcases all the important artistic trends in thai art from the 14th to the 19th century. most of the items were transferred from the collection of george plan, the russian envoy to king rama v. chulalongkorn of siam from 1910 to 1916. notably, the collection includes two ancient objects as well as objects with inscriptions translated by world-renowned researcher hans burns (chiang mai university in northern thailand). siamese art, as a sacred art, reflects the teachings of southern buddhism formed in sri lanka in the 13th century and subsequently spread throughout indochina, including siam (the name of thailand from the end of the 16th century to 1939). to thais, buddha is more of a reminder of buddhist teachings than a god. according to thai orthodoxy, any one of the buddha statues carries his inherent spiritual energy.