Literature in gold : Ramakien as depicted on Thai lacquerware cabinets from the early Rattankosin period

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to examine the use of the Thai rendition of the Rama story, know as Ramakien, as depicted on gold on black lacquerware cabinets from the early Rattanakosin period by combining various elements of Thai Studies, including Thai literature, Thai art, Thai history and Thai Buddhism. The objective of the study was to see how such depictions have been used and then address the question of why the ostensibly secular Rama narrative was used on cabinets designed to hold the sacred Buddhist scripture. This study examined the 376 lacquerware cabinets held by the National Library of Thailand assigned to the Rattanakosin period and found that of those that have some form of narrative depiction, approximately half can be associated with the Rama story, more than for any other group of narrative, including traditional Buddhist narratives, such as the Life of the Buddha and the jātaka tales. It was found that the Rama related depictions tend to focus on scenes of fighting and combat, traditionally scenes that have been popular for performance in khon masked dance drama and nang yai shadow puppetry. However, interestingly, the scene that is depicted the most is that of the ‘Death of Intharachit’, a scene not typically part of the performance repertoire. It can be concluded from this study that the Rama story, as depicted on the lacquerware cabinets, was used in a symbolic manner to create the presence of Phra Ram and convey the message of Phra Ram acting, either in association or conjunction with the king, as the protector and guardian of Buddhism. Along with this symbolic meaning, one could also read a didactic message through the depictions of the Rama story, that being to convey a lesson of the triumph of good/truth over evil/ignorance.