Arts in Southeast Asia
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PaintingMural Paintings Depicting Ramayana
The mural paintings show a combination of traditional and modern painting techniques as follows: the traditional painting techniques are demonstrated through the main characters’ dresses are similar to those in the Masked dance drama, they are showing the same dance movements, and the characters’ adornments are gilded. The modern painting techniques include the use of horizon lines and perspective, imitation of real buildings such as palaces in the Grand Palace, and depiction of real landscapes. In addition, the paintings also show ways of life of people in the Thai Royal Court and ordinary Thai people and humor through the supporting characters. There are 178 painting panels in total; and each painting comes with verse of Ramayana poetry on the lower part of the panels, 224 verses in total.
SculptureAvalokitesvara Bodhisattva
The sculpture is in the damaged condition. Only the head and upper body in ‘Tribhanga’ posture (standing body position or stance used in the traditional Indian sculpture, art and Indian classical dance forms) are left. The lower part of body is lost.The face is plump and well-crafted. The eyelids are half closed. The Unalome is visible at the forehead while head wears the triangle crown with jewelries. The hair bun on the top of the head is broken and lost, only the hair that is down to the shoulders left. The body wears many accessories such as the leather body bracelet with the chamois head on the left shoulder. This body bracelet is overlapped by a pearl body bracelet. Two necklaces, the top one is of pearls and the lower one is jewelries with flowers decorated. The jewels bracelet is also visible. Overall, this sculpture reflects the relationship between the Network of Mahayana Buddhist Kingdoms such as Pala Dynasty of India and Shailendra Dynasty of Java. However, the study by Assoc Prof Chet Tingsanchali points out the traits of the sculpture that do not exist in Java Art which means this sculpture might be crafted in Thailand.
ArchitecturePhra Sri Rattanachedi
Phra Sri Rattanachedi is a bell-shaped stupa in circular plan. Its four niches which have doors leading to the inner chamber, where the relics are kept in the small golden stupa, have smaller bell-shaped stupa on the top. The stupa is on a set of pyramidal lotus-shaped pedestals with wires in round plan. Its Ballang is in square plan, surrounded by supporting pillars.
ArchitectureChedi Phukhao Thong
Chedi Phukhao Thong is a monumental architecture. It comprises a pyramidal ambulatory platform with a staircase projecting from the middle of all four sides and a 12-angle indented (recessed) body. The upper part of the chedi, which now tilted slightly, is composed of Buddha niches on four sides, triple rings moulding, anindented bell-shaped dome and a spire.
ArchitecturePhra Ubosot Wat Phra Sri Rattanasatsadaram
Phra Ubosot Wat Phra Sri Rattanasatsadaram is a traditional Thai brick-and-stucco architecture in rectangular plan with boundary and faces the east.The three-tiered wooden roof is decorated by blue roof tiles, with orange and yellow roof tiles at the edge line. The cornice is decorated with Chorfah, Bairaka, Naksadung and Hanghong. The floral-carved-wooden pediment is coated with gold lacquer and glass, whose centre displays Vishnu riding Garuda.The exterior wall is decorated with gold-lacquer-and-glass Phoom Khao Bindh pattern, while there are Garuda holding Naga sculptures around the pedestal. Three doorways can be found both in the front and the back, with three pairs of bronze lion figures at the front staircase. There are pillars in dodecagonal plan surrounding the ubosot in the veranda area. Its echinus is a lotus shape and brackets are supporting the eaves.
ArchitecturePrasat Phra Thep Bidorn
Prasat Phra Thep Bidorn is a four-portico building with Prang top. The front projecting portico is in the east. The wall is decorated by tiles in Phoom Khao Bindh pattern on blue background. The cornice is decorated with Chorfah, Bairaka, Naksadung and Hanghong. A prang is on the top of the building, which is made from plaster and decorated with coloured tiles. Its four pediments display the royal coats of arms. The northern portico’s pediment displays Unalom of King Rama I. The southern portico’s pediment displays Garuda holding Nagas of King Rama II. The western portico’s pediment displays Phra Viman of King Rama III and the eastern portico’s pediment displays Phra Makamongkut of King Rama IV. The windows and doorways has Mongkut tops which are coated with gold lacquer and glass, while the sided walls show the royal coats of arms of King Rama I – V.
SculptureYakṣas at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha
The 12 sculptures are made of stucco with colorful glazed porcelain adornments according to Rammakian including different types of crowns, blouses, costumes, pointed sandals, etc. Their bodies were also painted according to the literary work.6 pairs of Yakṣas are as follows: 1.Suriyaphop – Intharachit 2.Mangkonkan – Wirunhok 3.Thotsakhichanthon – Thotsakhiriwan 4.Chakrawat – Atsakanmarasun 5.Thotsakan - Sahatsadecha Maiyarap - Wirunchambang
ArchitecturePhra Ubosot Wat Benchamabophit Dusitwanaram
Phra ubosot is in projecting cross plan and faces the east The easterm portico is extended, while the duplicated Phra Phuttha Jinaraj is installed in the western wing. The northern and southern porticos are linked to the cloister that leads to the back of the building.The front edge of the boundary stand concrete pillars with lotus-bud-shaped echinus, which signify “Sema”, while the back of the ubosot shows through Dharmacakra Sema on a granite-carved floor tiles. The boundary floor uses pink and gray granite tiles, while the wall is a white marble.The eastern and western porticos have four marble pillars in circular plan. Beside the staircase of each side stand a pair of marble-carved lions, which Prince Naris designed and molded by Khun Sakolpradit, the royal artisan.The exterior door was embossed with Dvarapala, while the interior door was painted the same figure with golden lacquer. The windows use the same technic, however, with Mara Baek. The niches were decorated by stained glass.The roof was built in traditional Thai form with yellow corrugated tiles and Thepphanom at the eaves, which once were the roof tiles of Wat Kalayanamite that later had been coloured in China. The pediment of phra ubosot displays the important state coat of arms. The eastern portico’s pediment displays Vishnu riding Garuda which stands for Phra Krooth Pah emblem. The western portico’s pediment display Unalom in Bussabok which stands for Maha Unalom or Maha Ongkarn emblem. The northern portico’s pediment displays three-headed elephant carrying bussabok which stands for Aiyarapot emblem. The southern portico’s pediment displays Cakra which stands for Cakraroth or Dharmacakra emblem.
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Minaret of Masjid Kampong Kling
The Southeast Asian-styled mosques are different from Indian or Persian masjids. The mosque has a square plan with 4 pillars supporting the sloping roof with the wooden beam supporting the tile roof without any dome. Other interesting point is the minaret that has stacked body with the Chinese sloping roof at the top. The shape of the minaret is similar to Chinese pagoda. At the same time, the minaret is also look alike the Dargarh type tower in Nagapattinam in South India
Dutch Colonization Period
17th – 18th century
Architecture
PaintingTumpalai Phu Pha Yon
The various engraved drawings can be classified as follows:1. Human figures. There are 21 engraved drawings of people, including both realistic and semi-realistic portraits. There are 9 realistic drawings, 2 of children and 7 of adults, that show the similarity between the real person and the drawing, for instance, the drawing of a person with an emphasis on only the outlines; the description of organs such as ears, eyes, mouth, nose, fingers, toes are not shown. The semi-realistic drawing is the drawing that characterizes the person in proportion but will be inaccurate from reality, for instance, the human head is in a square shape or the muscles of the limbs are not focused. However, other important parts such as ears, eyes, mouth, nose, fingers and toes aren’t completely shown. There are 12 drawings of this type. 2. Human hands. There is only one drawing of a right hand with the palm open. There are six fingers on the hand.3.Animals figures There are 21 drawings, 8 of fish, 4 of birds, 2 of dogs, 1 of a squirrel or a chipmunk, 1 of a buffalo, 4 of buffaloes or cows, 1 of a frog or a small green frog. 4. Geometrical motifs There are a lot of drawings with straight lines, curve lines or lines with different patterns, square, triangle, cross, arrowhead, rhombic triangle, single line, arranged lines, and crossed lines and sometimes the shape cannot be identified. 5.Appliance For example, a picture that resembles a plow, farming tools that show only the head area called “Moldboard plow” or “Phal” at the rear. There are also drawings of a shovel with a handle and a fan for blowing away the withered grain. 6.Building There are 2 drawings that look like a house. It is a house with a gable roof. One drawing is of a house with a dog inside and another drawing is of a house with a crossed roof similar to the roof of Kalae house or the roof of a hut in a farm in northeast of Thailand and it looks like there is a person inside the house.
PaintingKhao Chan Ngam Prehistoric color paintings
All paintings are in red color. They are 2-4 meters above the ground. Past studies of the Fine Arts Department and Silpakorn University classified the paintings that were found into 12 groups according to the position found. There are 44 paintings altogether, 32 human paintings, 5 animal paintings (dog, birds or chicken, lizard? porcupine? tiger?), a painting of a bow and an arrow. And 5 paintings that are unable to identify. 2 painting techniques used are silhouette and outline. Most people in the paintings have large calves wearing sarong but no shirt. Women in the paintings have a bird's tail hanging from the waist and form a tassel on their head.Group 1: These are the most prominent and important set of paintings on the east stone wall with the size of 1x2 meters. The paintings are silhouette. There are 2 rows (top and bottom) of a group of 14 people, both male and female, children and adults, and a picture of a dog. Details are as follows:Top row: It is a painting of 3 people. The first person shows only half the body without the head. The second person is standing with his arms open and there is cloth with the striped hem spread out from both sides of the waist. The painting was drawn from a straight angle but the person in the painting is turning his face to the right. The side of the third person is displayed. He is turning his face to a different direction from the second person. This is a painting with a neck, some parts of the body, and thighs missing. Bottom row: It is a painting of people walking in a line. The first painting of the bottom row is about 30 centimeters below the top row. It is a painting of a person standing in a position of shooting arrows with an arrow already being shot out from the bow. The painting shows the side view of the person with hair on the head, cloth hanging from the front and the back and the outer hem of the cloth is with stripes. The back leg of the person was shifted. Next to this painting is the painting of a male dog with upright ears and sword tail. Its body is long and thin. Below the painting of the dog is a painting of 2 persons, one is a man and another one is a woman. One is sitting with the knees up and another one has the top naked with a big belly and a tail like a bird. It seems like they are talking in the painting. Next to that is a painting of a person standing with arms akimbo wearing two pieces of clothes covering the front and the back. The right arm is raised up to the elbow. The painting shows the side of the person. About 20 centimeters from this painting is a painting of a hunchback person with hair on the head, cloth hanging from the front and the back and the front hem of the cloth is with stripes. The right hand is stretching out to hold an object like a cane. In front of this painting is a painting of a person standing with both arms raised as if the person is performing a traditional dance. The back thigh is missing. Next is a painting of a side view of woman performing a traditional dance. In front of the woman is a person stretching out the arms with a veil and there is a cross on the back of the veil. Next to that is a painting of 2 children performing a traditional dance. One child is raising up both of the arms and another one is raising up the right arm while the left arm akimbo. They wear two pieces of clothes covering the front and the back. Following that is a faint red painting. Group 2: Located on the eastern side of the stone wall near the paintings of group 1, but they are on a different stone wall. There is a clear painting of a person running or performing a traditional dance while looking back. The detail from the knees to the toes are missing. This side of the wall has a trace of painting, but has completely faded and only red stripes can be seen. Group 3: Located on the eastern side of the stone wall. It is a painting of a man catching a reptile that looks like a chameleon, an iguana, or a lizard. There are 3 zigzag lines not far from the painting of the person.Group 4: Located on the eastern side of the stone wall. It is a painting of 3 people with no head in a standing position. Two of them are wearing cloth like short skirts above the knee.Group 5: Located on the western side of the stone wall. It is a painting of 3 people standing next to a painting of an animal that looks like a hedgehog or a wild boar. 2 painting techniques were used, silhouette and outline. The animal and the person standing in front of the animal were drawn in outline. Another painting of the person in a running position wearing cloth that covers the front and the back is in silhouette. Group 6: A painting of 3 people. The most completed person is in the center of the painting. It is a painting of a man spreading his arms out wearing cloth that covers the front and the back. The details from the knees and lower are missing. It can be assumed that the person is performing a traditional dance. The other 2 paintings are not completed, one with half of the top part of the body missing and another one with the lower part starting from the hip is missing. Group 7: A painting of an animal that looks like a lion or a tiger. There are 5 red dots in front of the animal caused by some missing colors.Group 8: A painting of 2 people performing a traditional dance. The painting shows only the top part of the body, the bottom part is missing. Group 9: A painting of a person with the arms raised. One side of the tip of the arm and the leg are missing. There are vertical stripes drawn on the side of the person. That maybe the person painting that has faded (?) Group 10 A painting of a person with no head and the body is in a curling position. Group 11 There are three paintings that all may be paintings of 3 people, but the paintings are faded and unclear. Group 12 A painting of a half-body person with the right arm spread out and the left arm paralleled to the ground.
SculptureEmbossed Silver Plates
There are 66 silver plates embossed in different pictures including Buddha image, stupa and the wheel of law, each with distinctive pictures.
SculptureBoundary marker
This is a thin boundary marker. Although heavily damaged, the story can still be seen clearly. The Lord Buddha stands with both hands depicting the attitude of giving sermon. The image has square face, low-looking and protruding eyes, large nose and splitting mouth.The monastic robe covers the whole body. The front part of the robe goes pass the knee in a curvy shape. The back part of the robe falls down in a square shape to the ankle. The cloth falls down to the ankle as well. On the left, there is a small man wearing ornaments like a god. Next to this, there is another man paying obeisance behind the cloud. From old photographs, it ca be assumed that the composition on the right side may be the same despite being completely damaged. It is not clear as to which part of the life of the Lord Buddha this marker is, but some scholars assumed that it is the scene when he descended from the heaven with two gods beside him.
SculptureThe Buddha image with dropping legs
This Buddha image has undergone a big restoration. The image wears sliding monastic robe. The robe is thin and has no wrinkles. The right hand depicts the attitude of giving sermon and the left hand is placed on the lap. There is a lotus supporting the feet. It has square face, prominent and connected eyebrows, low-looking and protruding eyes, large nose, big mouth, spiral hair buds, protruding “Usanesa” and a glass bead-like halo.
SculptureBoundary marker
The top boundary marker has a pointing edge and the bottom part is craved with lotus petals. At the front, the scene when the Lord Buddha was protected from the rain by Mujalin Naga is craved. On the marker, the Lord Buddha is seated loosely on a coil of Naga. The hands depict the attitude of giving sermon. There is a five-headed Naga covering his head. There is a Mujalin tree at the back. On the bottom left, there is a man wearing a lot or ornaments, assumed to be the human disguise of Mujalin. On the right, there is another man paying obeisance, assumed to be one of the followers.
SculptureBoundary marker
The top boundary marker has a pointing edge and the bottom part is craved with lotus petals. At the front, the scene when the Lord Buddha taught Pimpa or popularly called “Pimpapilap” is carved. The scene is called “Pimpapilap” because Pimpa was both delight and sad when she met the Lord Buddha.The Lord Buddha was in a sitting posture with dropping legs. He was in a building, which was believed to be Pimpa’s residence. The Lord Buddha turned his face to the left. On the bottom left, there was Pimpa spreading her hair to rub the feet of the Lord Buddha. At the back of Pimpa, there was Rahul and the followers. There was an umbrealla and a whip close to Rahul. On the right, there was a man kneeling, which might refer to King Suthothana. There were followers at the back. Close to this picture, there were two whips and high utilities similar to “Bangsul” At the bottom, there is a city or a palace wall with multi-tier gate. There are four gate keepers.
SculptureBoundary marker
The top boundary marker has a pointing edge. It is craved with Indra, his consort and Erawan elephant. Indra is seated in “Lalitasana” posture and holds thunder in his left hand. The tree at the back is assumed to be Parichart, the tree of the second heaven where Indra dwells. On his left, there are 3 people and 1 bird. These are all his consorts including Suthamma, Sujittra, Sunandha, and Suchada who was reborn as an egret because she had not had enough merits. At the back of the consorts, there is “kanok” pattern of Dvaravati style. On the right of Indra, there is an Erawan elephant.
