Naga ring, Thailand, Rattanakosin, Bangkok period, 19th century, Purchase—funds provided by the Friends of the Freer and Sackler Galleries, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, S2018.5

Explore the symbolism of the legendary serpent deity, the naga, as it has long been expressed in art across South and Southeast Asia and in Cambodian classical dance. See how the naga is depicted in sculptures, royal adornment, and ritual objects representing the serpent’s many positive roles as a bridge connecting the human and divine worlds. Watch classical Khmer (Cambodian) dance that embodies the aesthetic of the serpent and tells stories of the naga’s actions in the world, accompanied by Khmer court music.

Your guides will be dancer and choreographer Sophiline Cheam Shapiro and curator Emma Natalya Stein from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art.

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