The Concepts of Murals within Frames of Wat Ratchaorasaram and Wat Khreuwan

Abstract

In the reign of King Rama III, a new style of mural paintings emerged. Small-sized frames were placed on walls and the murals created inside the frames. That is on the painted inside which murals were portrayed. This style is found in many temples. However, to understand its origins, the author chose the murals of two temples for case studies. They are the ordination halls of Wat Ratchaorasaram and Wat Khreuwan. The author concluded that the murals from either temple do not share the same origins. The murals of Wat Ratchaorasaram are related to the immitation of Chinese furniture called Duo bao, while the other one is connected with a Thai traditional mural technique of dividing different stories by vertical or horizontal lines. Based on this, the author suggests that the murals with frames inside other buildings and also painted during the third reign should be studied as well.