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Arts in Southeast Asia Database
SculptureHun Wang Na (The Crown Prince’s puppets)
The Puppets’ bodies were made of light weight soft texture wood. They were drilled to thread the strings for controlling. The head was also made out of similar wood and attached with strings, and the face is decorated with lacquer, paper Marché and painting.Male puppets usually wear a theatrical crown and tiara as coiffeur, while the costume and jewelry are similar to those of Khon, and likewise female puppets. The male puppets usually wear loose, straight legged, calf length trousers with deep embroidered hems under a draped brocade his wrappers that is padded at the sides, horizontally pleated in back and vertically pleated in front. The female puppets usually wear long, embroidered, upper-body garment that combines cape and shoulder cloth, over a simple base consisting of a snug bodice and wrap skirt. Furthermore, high social ranked female puppets such as princess or queen wear a theatrical crown. Yaksa queen or princess puppets wear a pointed tiara; whilst servant puppets wear a flame tiara.
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.
SculpturePediment carved of Ramayana, the Mokkasak
The pediment is in triangular shape with an arch. The arch curves in and out beautifully. The frame of the arch is decorated with multi-headed Naga following the pediment in the late Angkor period. In the middle, there is a stoprytelling scene from Ramayana: Mokkasak.
