The Painting of the Royal 12-month Ceremonies

Wat Senaram or Wat Seua is the ancient temple since Ayutthaya period. The whole temple was renovated during the reign of King Mongkut in 1863 as it was one of the temples he visited on the way to Narai Ratchaniwet (King Narai’s Lopburi Palace) when he traveled to the palace to renovate when he was in the monkhood.

powder-color painting

The powder-color painting used the western techniques that taking into account the principles of visualization which make the paintings seems dimensional both farway and close-up. The pictures of the buildings within the palace is used as the background while the people’s households, the costumes of the people, military men, the nobilities and the villagers are in line with the contemporary style of the period.

The Painting of the Royal 12-month Ceremonies are in the Ubosot of Wat Senaram, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya. The detail of the painting is very similar to the painting of the same story in Wat Ratchapradit Sathitmahasimaram. It is assumed that the paintings of both temples could be painted in the same period during the reign of King Chulalongkorn. The paintings got the lnfluences from the Royal Composition of the same name by King Chulalongkorn. The one in Wat Ratchapradit is assumed to be painted first then followed by the one in Wat Senaram. Both paintings used the grand palace as the backdrop. One of the important scene despite not existing in the Royal Composition but was featured in both places is The event that King Mongkut and company watching the Total Solar Eclipse from the Disitarom Pavilion in the Grand Palace despite the actual event happened at Wakor village in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province. The depiction of King Mongkut portrait at Wat Senaram is more realistic than the one at Wat Ratchapradit. The similar style of portraits of King Mongkut can be found in some other artworks of the reign of King Chulalongkorn such as the one in The Ordinate Paliion from Wat Benchamabophit Dusitvanaram.

ทศพร ทองคำ. “จิตรกรรมพระราชพิธีสิบสองเดือน วัดเสนาสนาราม ต. หัวรอ อ. พระนครศรีอยุธยา จ. พระนครศรีอยุธยา” (สารนิพนธ์ศิลปศาสตรบัณฑิต ภาควิชาประวัติศาสตร์ศิลปะ คณะโบราณคดี มหาวิทยาลัยศิลปากร, 2556).