thumb|U-Thong style sculpture; found in Ayutthaya and dated in the early 15th century
The U Thong Style is one of the definitive styles for Buddha icons which developed in Thailand (Siam) in the southern capital of Ayutthaya. There are three distinct periods for the style, 12th to 13th century, 13th to 14th century and 13th to the 15th century, with some obvious overlap.
Features common to all three types include:
- Small band between the hairline and forehead
- Robe draped with a long flap from the left shoulder ending in a straight line
- Fingers of unequal length
- Hairstyle is small, somewhat-spiky curls
- Seated, with the legs folded
- Simple concave base
History of the style
To retain the greatest spiritual potency, Buddha icons in Thai temples had to resemble as closely as possible an original prototype that tradition erroneously believed had been made during the lifetime of the Buddha. Of the three major efforts by Thai kings to establish an "authentic" canon for the icons, the Sukhothai style was the first, followed by the U Thong and the lion types.