Royal Crematorium: 500 statues sculpted by craftsmen

14 มีนาคม 2560

Thailand's best craftsmen hard at work sculpting monuments to King Rama IX for replica of Mount Sumeru, the royal funeral pyre.

ROYAL FUNERAL

Royal Crematorium: 500 statues to decorate

More than 500 sculptures will be made to decorate the royal cremation, and the country's best craftsmen are hard at work producing these monuments to King Rama IX
14/03/2017
Karnjana Karnjanatawe

Nopparat Bunmee adds a tiny clump of clay to the back right leg of Ratchasi, the mythical lion.

The sculptor adjusts the leg position of the sculpture,.

He then paces back and forth around his creation.

He views the sculpture from every angle to make sure the creature displays the majestic pose of a lion on the move.

"The graceful walk of Ratchasi implies that Thai people must move on after our late King Bhumibol Adulyadej passed away," he said.

CRAFTSMEN HARD AT WORK SCULPTING STATUES

Craftsmen are now hard at work at the sculptural hall of the Fine Arts Department's Traditional Arts Office in Nakhon Pathom.

Sharing the same workspace are a dozen artisans assigned to create more than 500 sculptures for decorating Phra Merumat, the palace -like structure where the royal urn will be housed at the royal cremation later this year.

Artists studio where the sculptors work.

HINDU GOD NARAYANA WITH FACIAL FEATURES RESEMBLING LATE KING

One of the eye-catching sculptures is a 2.75m-tall Hindu god Narayana (see here).

The sculpture has some facial features of the late king.

Based on traditional beliefs, the king is an avatar of the god Narayana in the world of men.

Located next to the Narayana sculpture are:

1. A 2 meter tall sculpture of one of four heavenly kings known as Thao Chatulokkaban in the Thai language,

2. A 2 meter tall standing garuda, which is Narayana's vehicle that he rides from place to place,

3. A seated angel,

4. Sacred oxen and

5. Kotchasi, the mythical elephant.

Craftsman at work on a statue.

OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME FOR ARTISANS

The sculptors concentrate on their work while soft music composed to honour the late king plays in the background.

This is the opportunity of a lifetime for these artisans to show their skill for such an important event for Thailand.

It is also the last opportunity for them to pay tribute to King Bhumibol.

Sculptors young and old collaborate on a Garuda statue.

THE CULMINATION OF A LONG CAREER

Nopparat, 57, said he felt deeply honoured to be participating in this sculpture project.

He has worked in the Traditional Arts Office for more than 30 years.

He has created sculptures for four royal funerals including that of:

1. Queen Rambhai Barni in 1985,

2. Her Royal Highness the Princess Mother in 1996,

3. Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana in 2008 and

4. Her Royal Highness Princess Bejraratana Rajasuda in 2012.

"This time is my fifth chance. The royal cremation of King Bhumibol will be grand and majestic."

"It must be special because it was the royal funeral pyre for a king."

"Every detail of my sculpture must be perfect. I will do my best," he said.

Woman or man craftsperson hard at work on a statue in the studio.

WHERE ARE THE SCULTURES BEING MADE?

The 500 sculptures to be made are categorised into 16 groups.

Half of the sculptures, about 26 major characters, are created by the artisans of the Traditional Arts Office.

The remaining 11 characters, mostly animals and some mythical creatures, are created by craftsmen in Ayutthaya, Ang Thong and the Pohchang Academy of Arts in Bangkok.

Drawings and photos used as guides to sculpt statues.

MOUNT SUMERU: WHERE KING BHUMIBOL'S SPIRIT WILL RETURN

Phra Merumat was designed by Korkiat Thongphud of the Fine Arts Department.

The idea of the royal funeral pyre is to signify Mount Sumeru (Mount Meru).

Mount Sumeru is the place where King Bhumibol's divine spirit is believed to return to.

This is according to traditional beliefs influenced by both Brahmanism and Buddhism.

The Royal Funeral Pyre, a replica of Mount Smeru.

MOUNT SUMERU STANDS AT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE

Mount Sumeru in Hindu mythology stands at the centre of the universe.

The mountain is the residence of the gods.

The foothills of the mountain are surrounded by Himmaphan (Himavanta or Himalayas).

Himmphan is the legendary forest and home to fantastical creatures such as naga (serpents), singh (lions) and kinnari (half-human, half bird).

When completed, Phra Merumat will be 50.49m high with an elaborate seven tier roof.

The structure will have four levels and will be adorned by several hundred sculptures.

There will also be four ponds at four corners of the base of Phra Merumat. The north pond will be decorated with elephant herds and the south with sacred oxen. The west pond is for horses and the east pond is for singh.

His Majesty the Late King Bhumibol with his favourite dog Thongdaeng.

STATUE OF THONGDAENG, THE LATE KING'S FAVOURITE DOG

There will also be sculptures of:

1. Rabbits, the birth year of the late king and also...

2. The 70 cm-tall statue of Thongdaeng, the king's favourite pet dog.

Thongdaeng was carved by Chin Prasong, the former chief of the Sculpture Division of the Fine Arts Department.

WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK SINCE THEY RECEIVED THE BLUEPRINTS LAST NOVEMBER

The team from the Fine Arts Department started working on the sculptures right after they received the blueprint of Phra Merumat last November. They have worked seven days a week ever since.

The first process is to sketch out a figure and posture of each sculpture.

They will later create a small sculptural model by using plasticine.

The model will help sculptors examine the right scale while creating the real statues.

THE EXCITEMENT OF CREATING STATUES

A newly employed artisan Phrakakita Kaewpanya was very excited when he was assigned to carve Thao Dhatarattha, king of the Gandharvas, or celestial musicians, and one of the four heavenly kings.

He researched and studied the character from many books before drawing the picture and sculpting the model.

"As a musician, Thao Dhatarattha must be good-looking and smart," he said.

Based on his model, Thao Dhatarattha has long hair and a charming face. He also holds the neck of his lute with his left hand.

The sculptor has worked on carving the figure for two months. He said he is about halfway done.

According to another artisan Charoen Hancharoen, each sculpture has a metal framework as the core.

The sculptor attaches hundreds of fillers, which are wooden crosses, to the armature before moulding it with clay.

SPECIAL CLAY FROM PATHUMTHANI

The clay must be refined, said Prasopsuk Ratmai, the chief of the Sculpture Division of the Fine Arts Department's Traditional Arts Office.

They use aged clay from Pathum Thani because it doesn't have the usual dark grey colour, but yellowish brown like the colour of café au lait.

The colour can reflect light and help artisans see the right dimension while sculpturing each statue, he said.

SCULPTURES MUST LOOK AS IF THEY ARE ALIVE

"Every piece is a work of art. We try to make our sculptures look as if they are alive."

"Their postures and faces must have feeling like a human, not a statue."

"This is the most challenging part," he said.

WORK TO BE FINISHED BY APRIL

So far about half of the sculptures have been done. The craftsmen are expected to finish their work by the end of April.

When finished, each clay sculpture is transported to another workspace at Sanam Luang.

FIBREGLASS REPLICAS

Another artisan team will create moulds of the clay sculptures.

The sculptures will be made of fibreglass and be coloured before being placed at Phra Merumat.

The fibreglass statues will takes less time to produce and won't be too heavy when compared with material like bronze, said Prasopsuk, adding that the cost of fibreglass is also much lower.

When the royal cremation is over, Prasopsuk expects that the sculptures will be kept in a dedicated place to showcase art in the reign of King Rama IX.

"I hope that there will be a museum to exhibit the sculptures for young generations to learn about this art in the future," he said.