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Bust of
H.M. King Mongkut, Rama IV
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Bust
of H.M. King Mongkut, Rama IV |
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This
painted plaster bust of King Mongkut is a portrait
unusually Western in style. King
Mongkut’s decorations are the Ancient and Auspicious Order of the Nine
Gems and the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant. The years of
King Mongkut’s reign are painted in English on a label at the base of
the bust. The artist was most probably Phra Ong Chao (Prince)
Pradit Warakan, a distinguished sculptor and director of Royal artists
in the Royal Arts Guild Chang
Sip Mu. Prince Pradit created sculptures of all of the past kings
of Siam for the Royal Pantheon at the Grand Palace at the order of King
Mongkut, Rama IV, a commission he completed during the reign of King
Rama V. The norm in the history of Thai art was for
artists to remain anonymous and works of art as a rule were not signed. Often these works were collaborative efforts
undertaken in service to the King or to other patrons. It is through lists of the Chang Sip Mu
that the identities of artists can be discovered. Artists’ careers can be tracked through these lists, however, in
the Thai system of ranks, their personal names were dropped in favor
of titles of ranks. Unless specific
works are cited in written histories of the court as works of a particular
artist, we can only speculate that the artist in charge of the particular
medium ultimately designed and directed the work. |
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Gallery 1 |
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Gallery 2 |
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Gallery 3 |
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Copyright 2000 Smithsonian Institution. All rights reserved. |
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