[Tlc] The Passing of Betty Gosling

[justinm at ucr.edu]

Dear All,

Please see below an obituary by Dr. Hiram Woodward for Dr.
Betty Gosling forwarded by Dr. Pattaratorn Chirapravati. Her
recent passing is a great loss to the field of Art History and
Thai Studies. Her colleagues in Chiang Mai are also preparing
an obituary. Dr. Woodward was a long time friend and colleague
of Dr. Gosling.

With regrets,
justin

Hiram W. Woodward, Jr.
Curator Emeritus
The Walters Art Museum
600 North Charles St.
Baltimore MD 21201
Tel. (410) 547-9000 ext. 257

It is sad to report the death of Betty Gosling in Ann Arbor. 
Dr. Gosling began graduate study at the University of Michigan
in 1972, following a number of years of residence and travel
in Southeast Asia.  She chose to concentrate her research on
the art of Thailand, and in 1983 she presented her doctoral
dissertation, "The History of Sukhothai as a Ceremonial
Center: A Study of Early Siamese Architecture and Society." 
This was later published, in somewhat modified form, as A
Chronology of Religious Architecture at Sukhothai: Late
Thirteenth to Early Fifteenth Century (Ann Arbor: Association
for Asian Studies; Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books, 1996). Dr.
Gosling determined that the development of the image halls
(both bot and wihan) at Sukhothai was revealed by changes in
ground plan and in molding profiles and that the mutually
reinforcing chronologies could be correlated with
inscriptional evidence.  She also drew attention to the
importance of the pyramidal structures of Sukhothai, which
hitherto had been almost entirely overlooked.

Her work on Sukhothai led to the publication in 1991 of a
general introduction to the site, Sukhothai: Its History,
Culture, and Art (Singapore: Oxford University Press).  She
also wrote Old Luang Prabang (New York and Kuala Lumpur:
Oxford University Press, 1996).   In 2004, there appeared
Origins of Thai Art (Trumbull CT: Weatherhill; Bangkok: River
Books), a beautifully and judiciously illustrated survey of
the art of Thailand from prehistoric times to the thirteenth
century, with an emphasis on the importance of the cultural
legacy of these centuries for the Tai-language-speaking
residents of the subsequent period.

Betty Gosling never sought an academic position.  Blessed with
energy and innate high standards, she maintained an ability to
write with clarity and eloquence about works of art in their
full religious, historical, and cultural setting.  She did not
shy from controversy or from addressing difficult issues,
especially in articles, which were published mostly in the
Journal of the Siam Society.  Those who knew her will treasure
memories of her charm, warmth, supportiveness, and stalwart
character.

______________
Dr. Justin McDaniel
Dept. of Religious Studies
2617 Humanities Building
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521
951-827-4530
justinm at ucr.edu