Early Rattakosin Thai Mural Painting and its Beliefs
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  • Manage No, Sortation, Country, Writer ,Date, Copyright
    Manage No EE00001970
    Country Thailand
    ICH Domain Traditional craft skills
    Address This style of painting is found in the Phra Ubosot (ordination halls) of important temples in Bangkok, in both royal and public temples which were built or renovated during the early Rattanakosin period.
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Description The murals in the Ubosot of Wat Thong Thammachat are works of art dating from the reign of King Rama III of the Chakri Dynasty. The paintings are executed in a style that was popular in the early Rattanakosin period, and they depict episodes of the Buddha's life. This particular mural stands out among others found in Bangkok for being one of the best preserved early Rattanakosin period wall paintings. The front wall is painted with the picture of a demon, while the back wall depicts the so-called Tribhum world shape, a representation of Buddhist cosmology. Another unique feature of this wall mural are the further depictions of large groups of buildings that are shown at the bottom of the Tribhum picture. This picture depicts not only architecture, but also the way of life of Thai society as it existed during the reign of Rama III. The overall color tone of this mural painting is quite dark, which is in line with the popular style of the early Rattanakosin art and sets it apart from the late Ayutthaya period where vivid colors were used. The other noteworthy elements of the picture are the use of golden decorations on the painting as well as the use of the color red as a background. Both of these are stylistic devices for accentuating important elements such as the Tribhum cosmology picture.
Social and cultural significance The mural wall paintings illustrate the belief system of Buddhism. The Tribhum painting with its three realms of Heaven, Human World and the Underworld is a depiction of the religion’s tripartite cosmology. The belief in this form of Buddhism has been rooted in Thailand since the Sukhothai period and it was originally created as a theory of nature that takes into account the distinction between moral and immoral behaviors. It thus merges an attempt to explain humanity’s place in nature with Thai society’s dominant beliefs on morality. Beyond the depiction of Buddhist cosmology, the paintings also reflect the way of life of the Bangkok trading community by illustrating different everyday scenes and bearing testimony of Thai society’s various dimensions. For example, the painting of shop houses reflects the way of life of Thai-Chinese merchants near the Grand Palace during that period. Thus, these murals are not only a testament of the long history of this kind of Thai painting technique, specifically its characteristics during the early Rattanakosin period of King Rama III, but they are also a window into the way of life within the Thai society of the past.
Transmission method The royal craftsmanship of Thai art has been practicing in Thailand from the past until nowadays. Recently, the preservation is under The Fine Arts Department who is responsible for the study and management of archaeological sites and objects as well as covers the intangible cultural heritage elements. Moreover, the government also recognize the importance of Thai art so that this Thai art practicing and knowledge has been pass on under many art schools for example “Poh-Chang Academy of Arts, Rajamangala University of Technology Rattanakosin”. This academy is mainly focus on transmission Royal Thai art and craft where it was established in 1913 by King Rama VI, according to the royal initiative of King Rama V or King Chulalongkorn in order to preserve and develop the arts and crafts of Thailand. Additionally, the teaching of Thai arts and crafts is also integrated in the educational curriculum in the school. As well as in tourism aspect, there are many workshops to offers for both locals and tourists such as at “The Artist House” where they offer cultural space for everyone to learn Thai heritage through art activities.
Community This style of mural painting is mostly found in royal temples. They were done by royal craftsmen with a high level of craftsmanship which is evident in the exquisitely detailed paintings. Accordingly, this elaborate style is only present in temples that were decorated by a small group of highly trained artists working for the King.

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