จำนวนการดูหน้าเว็บรวม

วันอังคารที่ 26 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2554

Identification of the Greco-Roman sculptures at the Royal Palace of Bang Pa-In (Ayutthaya) and the Thai Ku Fa Building (Thai Government Office)

Nearly a century of undisclosed information on the symbolism
of these important statues.


Bidya Sriwattanasarn,
Department of Tourism and Hotel Studies,
Faculty of Arts and Sciences,
Dhurakij Pundit University, Bkk., Thailand

Abstract
Communication with western countries in the modern period of Siam in the reign of King Rama V and King Rama VI inspired only a select group of members of the Royal Siamese Court and the elite society in obtaining Western art and cultural values. The sculptures of the Greco-Roman goddesses in the Royal Palace of Bang Pa-In and the Thai Ku Fa Building have not been properly identified by art historians since 1862.

Furthermore, employees of the palace used to discretely yet mistaken inform visitors that the sculptures were representations of the concubines of King Rama V. Similarly, a committee responsible for the research of the history of the Royal Thai Government’s House published a guide book for its visitors, focusing on the architectural decoration and style, but refrained to discuss the symbolic representation of the statues.

Images of Demeter, goddess of agirculture with her symbol of cornucopia at the Royal Palace of Bang Pa-in, Ayutthaya, during the conservative procedure by sculptors of the Crown Property of Thailand.
Hebe ,goddess of youth, at the 1st floor of the Thai Khu-fah Building (Royal Thai Government House)
Roller skate represent life of the youth.


Hebe goddess of youth _ hermitage_st.petersburg

Finally, after more than a century for the Palace of Bang Pa-In; and nearly a century for the famous Thai Ku Fa Building, the author has discovered that the sculptures in both places are muses and other important goddesses such as Thalia, Eurania, Diana, Niki and Athena, belonging to the Greco-Roman mythology.








Part of the author's presentation for the 11th International Conference on Thai Studies, "Visions of the Future" July 26-28, 2011 Siam City Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand. 27 July 2011 , 09.40-12.00. Room #8, Session 36 (Individual Papers) Art & Architecture . Chairperson: Prof. Leedom Lefferts