The origins of the Thai people are lost to history. It is thought that a Thai-speaking people from neighboring China, Laos and North Vietnam moved into Thailand around the 5th to 8th century AD. What is known for certain, is that by the end of the 13th century, the Tai had formed a political entity and emerged as a nation afterward known as the Thai. Despite intermittent warfare with the Cambodians and Burmese, the Thai kingdom flourished during the next four centuries, at various times conquering Cambodia and the surviving states in the north. Thailand is unique in Southeast Asia in that the country has never been a dependency of another nation.

Like most of Southeast Asia, Thailand was heavily influenced by its contact with Indian culture, absorbing not only religion but also architectural and art forms. Thai sculpture blends Chinese, Myanmar, Hindu and Khmer influences. The soft modeling of many bronzes and stucco figures attests to the wide spread of the Gupta style from India.

Among the most celebrated works of architecture in the world are the monumental wats or Buddhist temples of Bangkok which translate Indian forms into an architectural language that is uniquely Thai.

Buddhism was key in the development of Thai culture. Between the late 14th to early 15th the Thai form of Theravada Buddhism was reformed and codified, revitalizing the Theravada tradition and ensuring its supremacy over other Buddhist sects in Thailand. The flame atop the usnisa on this head of a Buddha is a feature limited to Thai religious art. The mask like face conveys the appropriate inner calm and contentment of a Buddha.