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 H.M. King Rama V's dressing table with hand-cut crystal toilet set which belonged to H.R.H. Prince Maha Vajirunhish, the first Crown Prince in the history of Thailand. King Chulalongkorn's reign was a period in the Rattanakosin era when the country was in a comparatively peaceful and abundant state. The people had time to appreciate the arts and many luxuriate with the collection of Objets d'art, such as blue and white porcelain, ivory boxes, glass works, and many other unusual artifacts. Once the collection of a certain art reaches the height of popularity, there would be exhibitions of the art where collectors would show off their pride pieces competing with each other, providing great entertainment in those days. Art pieces collectively called here as "Collectibles" are those exhibited at the Vimanmek Pavilion. The delicate beauty of these Objet d'art expresses the sophistication in the taste of the time together with the imagination and artistic flare of the makers and the royal family as antique collectors. The collection stands as a good witness to the feeling and attitude of the people in those days and should perhaps attract us of today to try to create that past, rich atmosphere. Of course all the collected items by King Rama V and his Royal Family cannot be shown here however the pictures and related text shown should give you another excellent reason to visit the Dusit Palace and Vimanmek Mansion while in Bangkok. Ivory
GlassGlass became very much in fashion in the reign of King Chulalongkorn. This was because at that time Europe was booming in its glass production: better quality glass was being produced, glasses and crystals were of delicate beauty and apart from this, Bohemia of Germany had also developed and exported a large quantity of coloured crystals. The event stimulated much competition and expansion in the glass industries in various countries. In particular crystals: there was a development for faster production techniques, and there were also new glass decoration methods such as carving, colour-glazing, overlaying and cameo work. Towards the end of the 19th Century, glass work in France entered the "Art Nouveau" era with the French Emile as the founder. This particular class of glass work characterizes the deviation from the classical style to the unusual, colourful glazes. The fine and brilliantly colourful glass from overseas seemed to meet with the Thai taste then. Glass wares were used widely, especially for floral arrangements for offerings during prayers, and there were imports of glass, made to order in the forms and shapes suitable for the Thai use. Collection of glass became very popular during King Chulalongkorn's time, but for the unfortunate fragility of grass, there is not very much of any collection left nowadays. Glass works presented here are a part of the collection at the Vimanmek Pavilion, Dusit Palace.
PorcelainKing Chulalongkorn's reign saw a significant diffusion of western civilization into Thailand. Reasons such as politics and economics have caused the welcome of these influences. The popularity of European porcelain during the period not only indicated the spread of western culture into our way of life but also expressed the shift of preference among the Thai people. The customarily popular use of the normally bought or specially ordered Chinese porcelain which has been in vogue since the time of Ayutthaya began to give way to European wares of different shapes and forms. This consequently some what modified the Thai eating practice from using the fingers to forks and spoons. Further, more European dishes were also served at various functions instead of Thai and Chinese food, which dictated the use of European wares and made European cuisine more known among the people.Historically, the art of porcelain making began in China during the reign of the Han dynasty approximately 200 years before Christ and continued to be developed right through the T'ana (AD 618-906) and the Sung (AD 960-1279) dynasties reaching its successful peak during the Ming (AD 1365-1644) and the Ch'ing (AD 1644-1912) dynasties. It was during the time of the Ming dynasty that the method of producing the presently known "Blue and White" was discovered. The process of Blue and White production involves painting the designs in blue on the porcelain then covering the painted surface with a transparent glaze and firing at a high temperature. The blue paint used at the time was made from cobalt oxide which when applied on to the porcelain, glazed and fired, gave the exotically beautiful blue pattern. This technique was developed right through the Ch'ing dynasty whose blue and white porcelain still remains to be seen in quite a quantity today. Apart from porcelain ordered from China and Europe, the collection also includes porcelain from Japan which is another world renowned country for the art. Porcelain works presented here are a part of the collection at the Vimanmek Pavilion, Dusit Palace.
Silver and GoldThe use of gold and silver for artifacts dates back to time ancient. In Egypt, royal household utensils were made of gold, and the popularity for the beauty and value of the metal has continued to be among the forefront both in occidental and oriental countries. For Thailand, gold has been used for royal household wares and for decorations for members of the royal family and high ranking officials. For lesser officials, the decorations are in gilded silver or silver, depending on the grades of officialdom. Even though Thailand was able to produce her own gold in earlier days at Bang Saphan in Prachuep Khiri Khan province, there was not much of it and it was very expensive, therefore gold has been used more in jewellery rather than for the making of sizable objects. During the reign of King Chulalongkorn, Thailand developed an excellent relation with Europe through the two trips His Majesty made to Europe. From both trips His Majesty brought back handsome quantities of golden works of art of European skills,and in the time that followed His Majesty also ordered more of the European work especially those by the famous Russian jeweller, Peter Carl Fabergé. Today some of his precious works are in the royal collection of Thailand. It is true that Thai gold and silver works possess long standing unique characteristics, but the Chinese skills for delicate metal work has also had much influence in Thailand, especially with silver. The popular Chinese silver works of the magnificently refined beauty was known as the "Shanghai Silver". Some of them had gold decorations and some were completely plated with gold for a more lustrous and valuable appearance. Originally silver gilt was done by a method different from that of today in which an electrolytic process is used. The gold molecules are plated on to the object electrolytically for a comparatively shorter time than when the old method is used. This old method involves gold being powdered and amalgamated with mercury into a paste called "Piag Thong" (gold paste). The paste is then painted on to the object to be plated and a hot flame is applied to the painted surface to drive out the mercury leaving a plate of gold on the object. This method is also used in the beautifully combined gold and silver nielloware called "Ta Thong". Gold and sliver works presented in here are a part of the collection at the Vimanmek Pavilion, Dusit Palace.
Related Pages: All pictures were provided and this article was based upon materials from the Public Relations Section, Royal Household Bureau, Used with permission. |
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