THAI GOLDSMITH GALLERY
2nd floor of the SUPPORT Arts and Crafts International Centre (SACICT)
Bang Sai district, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province
Open from Monday – Friday, 10.00 - 17.00 hrs.
Free admission
 |
| |
|
|
The Thai Goldsmith Gallery at SACICT — the SUPPORT Arts and Crafts International Centre — in Bang Sai in Ayutthaya province is a magnificent treasure trove of exquisite ornaments handcrafted from pure gold. Some of the finest examples from the various periods in history are on display in a dozen glass cases. It is also an important repository of knowledge on the evolution of gold craftsmanship in the Thai kingdom and the significance and symbolism of gold to Thais.
Gold beating was regarded as a palace art and goldsmiths were regarded as royal craftsmen as distinguished by the special designation of Suwannakit, indicating that they worked on royal commissions. Much of the information presented in the halls was directly provided by present-day Chang Thong Luang (court goldsmiths), suggesting that their importance has not diminished over the centuries.
The art of gold-making can involve complex and elaborate processes such as wrapping, gold ironing, lining, embossing, moulding, carving, coating, engraving, spreading, wetting, string beaming (Thong Pae Luad), closing. Designs created by one or more of these processes are showcased at the SACICT Thai Goldsmith Gallery.
A range of tools used by the artisans are laid out on a workbench in one corner of the hall. Multimedia displays present step-by-step the painstaking work that goes into creating a masterpiece.
Floor-to-ceiling wall panels provide fascinating information (in English and Thai) on the sources of Thai gold, the characteristics of this rare metal, its meaning in Thai culture, and the various ways in which the precious metal has been employed by the various schools and styles down the ages.
|
|
| |
The displays make clear that gold was imbued with special powers which it bestowed on its user and on the secular and religious objects it embellished. It was wrought into small trees which served as royal tribute. It was bestowed upon royal officials as rewards for service to the crown. Officers were bedecked with gold ornaments indicative of their status.
Thais also utilized gold as a symbol of their veneration of Buddhism. The most precious images were wrought of gold, “more than 2,000” of them, according to 17th-century European travellers. One of the goldsmiths’ most important tasks was to craft from gold the seasonal costumes for the Emerald Buddha, the kingdom’s most sacred image. Gold clads everything from the manuscript cabinets to the ceilings and window shutters of monastery buildings.
Gold was thought to bestow supernatural powers on its wearers. Thong (“gold” in Thai) is an auspicious word and is commonly part of Thai names, phrases, proverbs and maxims to imply the object’s sacredness.
|
Goldsmiths crafted beautiful objects that would attract beneficent spirits to ensure the owner’s security. It served as the setting for rings, necklaces, and bracelets decorated with precious stones that would protect the wearer. Military leaders customarily wore gold sashes studded with jewels when they rode into battle on their war elephants. Some rulers in Ayutthaya wore not only a solid gold Nopparat ring (prominently displayed in the hall) but also nine others, each set with a separate stone and a chain with a similar pattern.
What is quickly apparent is that these are Thai designs and executions, as opposed to output of Chinese goldsmiths who now proliferate throughout the kingdom. The key Thai traits are geometric patterns, utilization of nearly every exposed surface, and the employment of delicate strands woven into remarkably complex pieces. On display are beautiful necklaces, bracelets, and rings as well as ritual objects like bowls.
The artisans and their successors also experimented with a variety of gold types, including white gold, and combined it with other metals like silver, to create neilloware and enamelled gold. A walk around the hall quickly reveals just how extensive the art was and what heights it achieved in the past and continues to occupy in the present.
Displays highlight the output of the principal schools including the Mueang Phetch school centered in Petchburi just south of Bangkok. Its representative pieces employ popular designs like polished gold ‘kad man’ (waxing), see sao, hok sao, paat sao (4/6 or 8-columns), floral designs such as pine cone, bulletwood flower (dok pikun), jasmine (mali) lotus-inspired motifs such as kaan bua (lotus trunk), the Jongkol Lotus and Bua Sattabongkoch Nelumbo button, pra jam yaam — the diamond-shaped traditional Thai motif, fish, butterfly, snake, dragon, and centipede patterns.
Sukhothai/Sisatchanalai school goldsmiths utilized 99.99% pure gold to craft floral and animal motifs like elephants, horse, Naga and swan, and patterns such as hearts, mat, wave. Subsequent adaptations were made to modernize Sisatchanalai gold without altering the traits that distinguish them as purely “Thai”. |
Niello (or Nielloware) is a black metallic alloy comprising sulphur, copper, silver and lead and is inlayed in engraved gold or silver. Thai goldsmiths excelled in creating Black Niello, Silver Niello, Golden Touch Niello and Golden Niello ornaments worn or used by royalty, and as tribute objects. Both types are featured in the hall.
The Gallery has been created as part of Her Majesty the Queen’s SUPPORT Foundation’s efforts to preserve Thailand’s ancient arts by offering the country’s best artisans workshops in which to pursue their art. The purpose is both to replicate the ancient pieces and to teach a new generation the intricacies of the art and ensure its survival.
The lingering impression once one leaves the Hall is the consummate skill and range of Thai goldsmiths, and the myriad ways in which they have wrought this precious metal into intricate and beautiful religious and art objects, and jewellery.
MAP
Please click to expand |
Particulars:
The name of the complex containing the Thai Goldsmith Gallery (and many others devoted to other arts) is SACICT, or The SUPPORT Arts and Crafts International Center of Thailand. It is located at 59 Moo 4 Changyai Sub-district, Bangsai District, in Ayutthaya. If driving, exit National Highway 1 at Highway 9 and turn right onto Highway 3309, following the blue SACICT signs.
Contact information:
The Thai Goldsmith Gallery at SACICT — The SUPPORT Arts and Crafts International Center of Thailand
59 Moo 4 Changyai Sub-district, Bangsai District,
Ayutthaya province (Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya)
Tel: +66 (0) 3536 7054
Fax: +66 (0) 3536 7051
E-mail: info@sacict.net
Web site: www.SACICT.net
|
|
For the latest updates, please visit
www.TATnews.org
|
