The Bangkok National Museum ( th, พิพิธภัณฑสถานแห่งชาติ พระนคร, ) is the main branch museum of the National Museums in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

and also one of the largest museums in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

. It features exhibits of

Thai art Traditional Thai art is primarily composed of Buddhist art and scenes from the Indian epics. Traditional Thai sculpture almost exclusively depicts images of the Buddha, being very similar with the other styles from Southeast Asia, such as Khmer ...

and

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

. It occupies the former palace of the vice king (or Front Palace), set between

Thammasat University Thammasat University ( Abrv: TU th, มธ.; th, มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์, , ) is a public research university in Thailand with campuses in Tha Phra Chan area of Phra Nakhon District near the Grand Pala ...

and the National Theater, facing

Sanam Luang Sanam Luang ( th, สนามหลวง, ; lit: 'royal turf') is a open field and public square in front of Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand. Sanam Luang is in the Phra Nakhon District, the historic center of Bangkok ...

. The museum was established and opened in 1874 by King

Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร ...

to exhibit the royal collections of his father King

Mongkut Mongkut ( th, มงกุฏ; 18 October 18041 October 1868) was the fourth monarch of Siam (Thailand) under the House of Chakri, titled Rama IV. He ruled from 1851 to 1868. His full title in Thai was ''Phra Bat Somdet Phra Menthora Ramathibo ...

. Today the galleries contain exhibits covering the

Thai History The Tai ethnic group migrated into mainland Southeast Asia over a period of centuries. The word ''Siam'' ( th, สยาม ) may have originated from Pali (''suvaṇṇabhūmi'', "land of gold") or Sanskrit श्याम (''śyāma'', "dar ...

back to

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...

times. The collection includes The King

Ram Khamhaeng Ram Khamhaeng ( th, รามคำแหง, ) or Pho Khun Ram Khamhaeng Maharat ( th, พ่อขุนรามคำแหงมหาราช, ), also spelled Ramkhamhaeng, was the third king of the Phra Ruang Dynasty, ruling the Sukhoth ...

's Inscription, which was inscribed on UNESCO's

Memory of the World Programme Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembered, ...

registered in 2003 in recognition of its significance. Other than preserving and displaying Thai artifacts dating from the

Dvaravati The Dvaravati ( th, ทวารวดี ; ) was an ancient Mon kingdom from the 7th century to the 11th century that was located in the region now known as central Thailand. It was described by the Chinese pilgrim in the middle of the 7th cen ...

Srivijaya Srivijaya ( id, Sriwijaya) was a Buddhist thalassocratic empire based on the island of Sumatra (in modern-day Indonesia), which influenced much of Southeast Asia. Srivijaya was an important centre for the expansion of Buddhism from the 7th ...

, to Sukhothai and Ayutthaya periods, the museum also displays extensive collections of regional Asian

Buddhist Art Buddhist art is visual art produced in the context of Buddhism. It includes depictions of Gautama Buddha and other Buddhas and bodhisattvas, notable Buddhist figures both historical and mythical, narrative scenes from their lives, mandalas, an ...

s such as

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

Gandhara Gandhāra is the name of an ancient region located in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, more precisely in present-day north-west Pakistan and parts of south-east Afghanistan. The region centered around the Peshawar Val ...

, Chinese

Tang Tang or TANG most often refers to: * Tang dynasty * Tang (drink mix) Tang or TANG may also refer to: Chinese states and dynasties * Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) ...

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...

ese

Cham Cham or CHAM may refer to: Ethnicities and languages *Chams, people in Vietnam and Cambodia **Cham language, the language of the Cham people ***Cham script *** Cham (Unicode block), a block of Unicode characters of the Cham script *Cham Albania ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

, and

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...

n Khmer arts. , the museum is nearing the end of a decade-long renovation of its exhibition rooms. Twelve halls have been revamped already. Four more halls will be renovated over the next three years. All will receive new interiors, better lighting, and computer-aided multimedia displays.

History

Bangkok National Museum was originally established by King

(Rama V) around the collection of antiquities of his father King

(Rama IV). The National Museum is on the grounds of the former Wang Na, the " Front Palace" which was built for the vice king, a sort of crown prince (

has no law of primogeniture. The king traditionally named his own successor, who was often his brother rather than his son). The post was eliminated by Chulalongkorn and the National Museum was set up in the former palace in 1887. In 1874, Chulalongkorn ordered the establishment of the first public museum at the Concordia Pavilion inside the

Grand Palace The Grand Palace ( th, พระบรมมหาราชวัง, Royal Institute of Thailand. (2011). ''How to read and how to write.'' (20th Edition). Bangkok: Royal Institute of Thailand. .) is a complex of buildings at the heart of Ba ...

to exhibit the collections of his father and other objects of general interest. The Concordia Museum was opened on 19 September 1874, and the

Fine Arts Department The Fine Arts Department ( th, กรมศิลปากร, ) is a government department of Thailand, under the Ministry of Culture. Its mission is managing the country's cultural heritage. History The department was originally established ...

has marked that day as the birth of the first national museum of Thailand. In 1887, Chulalongkorn ordered the museum moved from Concordia to the Front Palace, and called it "Wang Na Museum" or 'Front Palace Museum'. In 1926, it was named the "Bangkok Museum" and subsequently developed into the Bangkok National Museum, when it came under the direction of the

in 1934.

Collections

The National Museum Bangkok currently houses three permanent exhibition galleries: # The Thai History Gallery in the front of Siwamokhaphiman Hall, a ceremonial building. On display is The King Ram Khamhaeng Inscription, which was inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme Register in 2003. Another exhibit tackles the question, "Where did the Thais come from?" Also on display are artifacts from the prehistory period to the

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

period. # The Archaeological and Art History Collections which are provided in two parts: ## The Prehistory Gallery, at the back of Siwamokhaphiman Hall. ## The Art History Gallery, in the North Wing Building, which displays sculptures and exhibits from the

, and

Lopburi Lopburi ( th, ลพบุรี, , ) is the capital city of Lopburi Province in Thailand. It is about northeast of Bangkok. It has a population of 58,000. The town (''thesaban mueang'') covers the whole ''tambon'' Tha Hin and parts of Th ...

periods (before 1257 CE) up to the

period (c. 1782) # The Decorative Arts and Ethnological Collection which is displayed in the old central palace buildings. This collection contains artistic, cultural, and ethnographic exhibits such as gold treasures and precious stones, mother of pearl inlay, royal emblems and insignia, costumes and textiles, ceramics, carved ivory, old royal transportation, old weapons and musical instruments.

The buildings

The museum has three main exhibition spaces: *Siwamokhaphiman Hall - This building was built when the Prince Successor to

King Rama I Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok Maharaj (, 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), personal name Thongduang (), also known as Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom and the first monarch of the reigning Chakri dynasty of Siam (now Thai ...

Maha Sura Singhanat Somdet Phra Bawornrajchao Maha Sura Singhanat ( th, สมเด็จพระบวรราชเจ้ามหาสุรสิงหนาท; , lit: ''His Royal Highness, Maharurasinghanat, Prince of Front Palace'') (1 November 1744 – ...

, built the Palace of the Prince Successor. Originally used as an audience hall, it now houses the Thai History Gallery. *Buddhaisawan Chapel - The chapel was built in 1787 to house an important Buddha image, Phra Phuttha Sihing. Inside the chapel,

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spanis ...

s depict scenes from the life of the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...

. *The Red House - This teak house was originally one of the private living quarters of Princess Sri Sudarak, the elder sister of King

Rama I Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok Maharaj (, 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), personal name Thongduang (), also known as Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom and the first monarch of the reigning Chakri dynasty of Siam (now T ...

. It was moved from the old palace in

Thonburi __NOTOC__ Thonburi ( th, ธนบุรี) is an area of modern Bangkok. During the era of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, its location on the right (west) bank at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River had made it an important garrison town, which ...

to the

for Queen

Sri Suriyendra Sri Suriyendra ( th, ศรีสุริเยนทร, , ; 1767–1836) was the queen of Siam, wife of Phutthaloetla Naphalai, who was her cousin, and mother of Mongkut and Pinklao. She was later named, upon the coronation of her son Mongkut ...

, wife of King Rama II. Today the Red House is furnished in early-Bangkok period style which depicts the royal lifestyle of the past with some of the objects once belonging to Queen Sri Suriyendra.

Gallery

File:The Buddaisawan Chapel.jpg, Buddaisawan Chapel File:In side the Buddaisawan Chapel.jpg, Buddaisawan Chapel interior File:The royal Chariot in National Museum (Bangkok).jpg, Royal chariot File:A small artillery in National Museum (Bangkok).jpg, Small cannon File:Canons line up in National Museum (Bangkok).jpg, Cannons File:A Thai pavilion in National Museum (Bangkok).jpg, Thai pavilion File:Wall painting in the Buddaisawan Chapel.jpg, Wall painting, Buddaisawan Chapel File:War elephant in national museum Bangkok.jpg, War elephant and antique weapons File:Siam traditional clothes.jpg, Traditional clothing File:Khon mask in National Museum.jpg, Khon masks File:Bangkok National Museum - 2017-06-11 (100).jpg, Inside Siwamokhaphiman Hall File:Bangkok National Museum - 2017-04-22 (94).jpg, Throne of the White Umbrella, a royal throne once occupied by Prince Pinklao File:Bangkok National Museum - 2017-04-22 (199).jpg, Funeral pyre and urn of Princess Bejaratana Rajasuda at Chariot Hall File:Bangkok National Museum - 2017-04-22 (068).jpg, Five-headed Śiva, Ayutthayan art, 21st-22nd centuries BE File:Bangkok National Museum - 2017-04-22 (36).jpg, Statue of the Hindu god Viṣṇu File:Bangkok National Museum - 2017-04-22 (013).jpg, Ram Khamhaeng Inscription File:Bangkok National Museum - 2017-06-11 (026).jpg, Chairs occupied by King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit during their visit to Nakhon Ratchasima Province on 2 November 1955

References

External links

Museum organization, location, collections and history.
{{authority control Museums in Bangkok 1874 establishments in Siam