National Museum Bangkok
The National Museum Bangkok ( Thai : พิพิธภัณฑสถาน แห่ง ชาติ พระนคร ; RTGS : Phiphitthaphanthasathan Haeng Chat Phra Nakhon; pronunciation: [pʰíʔpʰíttʰáʔpʰantʰáʔsàʔtʰăːn hɛ̀ŋ t͡ɕʰâːt pʰráʔ náʔkʰɔːn] ) is the first of several national museums in Thailand . It is located in the oldest part of Bangkok , on the Rattanakosin Island, north of the Great Palace (Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang) , at the central Sanam Luang in the Phra Nakhon district of Bangkok .
history
The very first museum in Siam was established by King Mongkut (Rama IV). In 1862 he had a building built on the grounds of the Grand Palace to store his collection of art objects and antiques. The building was called "Prapat Bibidhabanda" and stood on the place where the "Sivilai Maha Prasat Hall" is today.
King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) had the first public museum set up in 1874 on the palace grounds in the “Concordia Hall”, later known as the “Sala Sahathai Samakhom”. After the death of the last Uparat in August 1885, his palace, the so-called “Front Palace” (Phra Ratcha Wang Bowon Sathan Mongkon, Thai: พระราชวัง บวรสถาน มงคล - Wang Na for short ) stood empty. King Chulalongkorn had exhibits transported from Concordia Hall to Wang Na in 1887, where he chose the front three buildings as the new location. On December 4, 1889, Wang Na was declared a museum by royal decree under the auspices of the Ministry of Education. In 1892 the building of today's National Theater, which was also located in the area of the former Wang Na, was named the administrative building of the newly established ministry. The museum was open twice a week. Antiques and art objects were exhibited and catalogs were published in both Thai and English.
On April 19, 1926, King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) established the Royal Institute and appointed Prince Damrong Rajanubhab as its president. This settled in the northern part of the Wang Na, it then took over the administration of the "Bangkok Museum", as it was called from now on, and also the "Bangkok Library" ( Bangkok Library ). The museum buildings were repaired and renovated so that the two new institutions could be inaugurated in a solemn ceremony on November 10, 1926 for the king's birthday.
Over the years, the museum buildings were in very poor condition, so that by 1930 there was already a risk of collapse. In the absence of funds, numerous teak logs were used to prop up the roofs. After the coup of 1932 which was on May 3, 1933 Fine Arts Department (: about Ministry of Fine Arts ) was established. The administration of the Bangkok Museum and the Vajiranyana Library has been transferred to the Ministry. Simultaneously, the Bangkok Museum "National Museum" renamed, which was Vajiranyana Library became the "National Library" ( National Library ).
It was not until the early 1950s that enough funds could be made available to repair the museum's buildings and, after 20 years, to remove the temporary support beams. The restoration was not completed until 1952.
Attractions
- The Buddhai Sawan Chapel was built by the first Uparat in 1792. The Buddha statue of Thailand, which is most venerated after the Emerald Buddha : the legendary Phra Phuttha Sihing , still stands here today . During certain Buddhist holidays, this statue and its throne are erected for the public on Sanam Luang . Also noteworthy are the old wall paintings in the chapel, which are among the oldest in Bangkok.
- Bronze Age: Numerous finds from the area around Ban Chiang are exhibited in the Sivamokkha Phiman Hall. Particularly worth seeing is a small, approximately eight centimeter high peacock figure, which due to its simple shape can almost be regarded as modern.
- Dvaravati art: in the relatively new south wing of the museum, works of art from the Dvaravati period can be seen, including several wheels of the law ( Dharmachakra , diameter up to 1.80 meters). The 3.80 meter high seated Buddha statue of Phra Phuttha Narachet is impressive.
- Sukhothai: Numerous Buddha statues from the Sukhothai period are on display in the relatively new north wing. Here is also the original of King Ramkhamhaeng's stele , on which Thai writing is depicted for the first time . You can also see some statues of Hindu deities (e.g. the 1.50 meter high Uma or the 2.70 meter high Vishnu , both made of partly gilded bronze) in the typical Sukhothai style (see Buddha statue (Thailand) ).
- Ayutthaya: a 1.50 meter high bronze Buddha head from the Ayutthaya period can also be seen in the north wing, along with other medium-sized and small sculptures.
- Handicrafts: Countless examples of traditional Thai handicrafts are on display: the king's everyday objects with mother-of-pearl inlays or decorated with niello , bookcases from monasteries and the royal family with black and gold lacquer painting , silver and gold work, carvings made of ivory. Particularly impressive is an elegant figure of a kinnari from the 17th century, carved from teak, over a meter high .
- Royal hearses: A separate building is dedicated to the grandiose royal hearses, which are made of teak, decorated with gold-plated wood carvings, are up to 15 m high and weigh up to 40 t. The oldest model dates from 1795. Four groups of 216 soldiers in total pull these wagons from the temple where the deceased was laid out in a procession to the cremation site (mostly the Sanam Luang). One of these wagons was last used at the Queen Mother's funeral on March 8, 1996. (see web links)
- Pavilions: numerous open pavilions ( sala ) are distributed over the museum grounds. Located directly at the entrance, the graceful Long Song Pavilion from the time of King Vajiravudh catches the eye, and the recently renovated Samran Mukhamat Pavilion is located diagonally behind the Buddhaisawan Chapel.
Phra Phuttha Narachet, Dvaravati style
Ramkhamhaeng stele
striding buddha, sukhothai style
The Samran Mukhamat Pavilion
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See also
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- Dhanit Yupo: The Development of National Museums in Thailand . 3rd ed. Bangkok: The Fine Arts Department 1990. (Thai culture; 24)
- The National Museum Volunteers Group: Treasures from The National Museum Bangkok . Bangkok 1995.
Web links
- To the National Museum: http://www.bangkoksite.com/NationalMuseum/index.htm
- About the hearse: Bangkok Post page about the Queen Mother's cremation ceremony in 1996 ( Memento of March 3, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (in English)
Coordinates: 13 ° 45 ′ 28.6 ″ N , 100 ° 29 ′ 31.3 ″ E