Afgodsbeelden en een parasol uit Siam
The figurines in this print represent Sommonacodom, an ancient Siamese name for the Buddha. Sommona refers to ascetic monks, and Comom comes from Gotama, the clan of the historical Buddha. The Siamese people showed Sommonacodom respect by praying and placing offerings before such statues. For Europeans, this was tantamount to idolatry. From early European travel accounts it emerges that their authors believed the Siamese considered Buddha to be a god.