2b. United States Centennial Exposition, Philadelphia, 1876

 

Royal Gifts from Thailand

Smithsonian – Gallery 2

Mask of Sukhrip the Red Monkey King of Khitkhin, Ally of Rama

Na Sukhrip

  • Pavilion Army
  • Gift of King Chulalongkorn, 1876
  • Centennial Exposition, Siam Exhibit
  • Paper-maché, paint, mirrors, and glass
  • Department of Anthropology, cat. no: E27377 (54233)
  • 58 cm height x 26 cm width x 24 cm depth

Gifts of King Chulalongkorn: Two Gold-Plated Nielloware Betel Sets

Phan mak thom ta thong mi khrung nai

  • Gift of King Chulalongkorn, 1876
  • Siam Exhibit, Centennial Exposition
  • Nielloware (silver, silver alloy, and gold)
  • Department of Anthropology, cat. nos: E27153, E27154, E27155, E27156, E27157, E27158

Yellow Enamel Monk’s Betel Set

Khru’ang mak thom pat

  • Gift of King Chulalongkorn, 1876
  • Centennial Exposition, Siam Exhibit
  • Copper and enamel
  • Chinese for Thai market
  • Department of Anthropology, cat. nos: E27271, E27272, E27273, E27274, etc. (6 pieces)

Mother-of-Pearl Inlaid Box for storing Buddhist Doctrinal Manuscripts

Hip sai kham phi

  • Gift of King Chulalongkorn, 1876
  • Siam Exhibit,Centennial Exposition
  • Wood, lacquer, mother-of-pearl
  • Department of Anthropology, cat. no: E27123
  • 62.5 cm length x 10 cm width x 11.5 cm height

Monk's Alms Bowl, Lid with Emblem of State, and Stand

Bat

  • Wood, lacquer, mother-of-pearl
  • Department of Anthropology, cat. no: E27266
  • 30 cm total height

Monk's Alms Bowl, Lid with Emblem of State, and Stand

Bat

  • Wood, lacquer, mother-of-pearl
  • Department of Anthropology, cat. no: E27266
  • 30 cm total height

Monk’s Bag, Yam, with Alms Bowl, Cover with Emblem of State, and Stand

  • Gift of King Chulalongkorn, 1876
  • Centennial Exposition, Siam Exhibit
  • Department of Anthropology, cat. nos: E27266, E27270
  • Monk’s bag yam, 61 cm height of body (48 cm length of strap) x 84 cm diameter of opening

Thailand’s participation in the Centennial Exposition of 1876, held in Philadelphia, was extraordinary. A massive exhibit of Thai artifacts and manufactured goods -over 900 items- was assembled at a cost of over $96,000 (in 1875 dollars). Again the kru’ang yot composed a part of the gift.

The exhibit included items relating to the Thai traditional arts, religious life, and culture such as Buddhist monk’s equipment, the royal heraldic seal, and scale models of the royal funerary chariot and of the magnificent royal barges. There were also leather shadow puppets representing figures from the Ramakien– a Thai epic based on the Indian Ramayana– and all of the stages and screens required for a shadow play, or nang, along with theatrical or khon masks of Ramakien characters. Also included were all of the musical instruments used in such performances.

This impressive exhibit also included common everyday items showing the richness of Siamese manufactured and agricultural goods, such as Siamese silk and cotton cloth, household items, clothing, objects relating to animal husbandry, basketry, metal and woodworking tools, artists’ painting and sculpting tools, fish traps and other fishing gear, mats, ceramics, and, reminiscent of the “Gift of Respect,” samples of exotic woods and mineral ores and agricultural items (including 66 samples of various strains of rice at various stages of rice gestation).

Gallery 2