Thai Temple Rubbings

Lois and Jim Williams

“When visiting Bangkok, in southern Thailand, we purchased several temple rubbings to present as gifts to friends and family and kept a few for our enjoyment.

Thailand is famous for its winsome smile and temple rubbings, which have become renowned symbols of Thai tradition. Historically, the main inspiration for Thai Temple Rubbings has been the Thailand epic Ramakien. As part of their pilgrimage, devotees of Rama would rub charcoal on any material over the carvings of this famous epic to keep as their souvenir of this particular symbolic journey. These artists used colored chalks to imitate the exact likeness of any temple wall carvings until they were banned. This is why the old Thai Temple Rubbings are more valuable than ever.

Nowadays, devotees can still go on a pilgrimage tour; however, the government has banned them from rubbing stones to preserve these historical sites. Since the late 1960s, temples around Bangkok, Thailand, have been the leading sites where skilled local artists trace Thai Temple Rubbings using high-quality rice paper.

We are pleased to have several Thai Temple Rubbings created before the band, including musical ladies, elephants, and other symbols of Thailand.”

Memories & Inspiration: The Kerry and C. Betty Davis Collection of African American Art is organized and toured by International Arts & Artists.