The magnificent murals on canvas for the late King
Murals for the royal crematorium are almost finished, glorious depictions of His benefial projects
MORE THAN 300 volunteer artists have almost completed the majestic murals that will adorn the Phra Thinang Songtham – the Royal Merit-making Pavilion at the crematorium being readied for the funeral in October of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The Office of Ten Divisions of Traditional Thai Crafts said this week the huge murals for the pavilion where members of the royal family will assemble were about 90-per-cent complete. The work is being done at the agency’s premises in Nakhon Pathom.
For this most solemn of occasions, the Phra Thinang Songtham has been conceived as a contemporary structure with a unique design. About 200 metres in length, it has the rectangular shape of a formal assembly hall. Its primary function will be to shelter His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn as he presides over the funeral ceremony. Joining him there will be other members of the royal family, visiting heads of state, Cabinet ministers, senior officials, foreign ambassadors and other honoured guests.
The hall is equipped with 2,500 seats. The magnificent murals on canvas will occupy three walls of the Phra Thinang Songtham. The first wall is the largest, covering 93 square metres. For this, artisans of the Office of Ten Divisions of Traditional Thai Crafts have painted scenes from 19 royally initiated projects in and around Bangkok. They include the agricultural testing grounds at Chitralada Palace, the use of the Chaipattana aerator that the late King invented, and the “monkey cheek” scheme for retaining water he devised for times of flood and drought.
The Rama XIII Bridge over the Chao Phraya River is shown, as is the Khlong Lat Pho Floodgate on its eastern bank. The second wall, 71 metres square, is being prepared by artisans of the Office of Traditional Arts and art students from Rajamangala University of Technology Rattanakosin. It features 13 more royal projects, these found in the North and Northeast. The third wall, also 71 square metres, is under the purview of Bunditpatanasilpa, the College of Fine Arts, whose artists have shown 14 royal projects in the South and elsewhere in the Central region. Asia Nation
