Every year, the Naris Foundation and the Chitrabongs family celebrate Naris Day, the birthday of the late Prince Narisaranuvattiwongse -- the Great Craftsman of Siam -- by opening up the prince's residence, Ban Plainern, in Bangkok's Khlong Toei district to the public all day on April 29.
Ban Plainern, the private residence of Prince Naris. photo: Pichaya Svasti
Visitors can admire the beauty of the traditional wooden house and the prince's works of art and collections of ancient artefacts. A must-see is the studio, which displays Prince Naris's work table and his works of art, ranging from his famous painting of the Sun God riding his chariot to his pencil drawings and sketches of temple buildings, tales and praying fans.
Stepping into the prince's residence, visitors will see the prince's pencil drawings on the walls and his portrait bust sculpted by renowned artist Prof Silpa Bhirasri, or Corrado Feroci, an Italian who served as the court artist of Siam and founded Silpakorn University.
Some of the most interesting spots are the eastern part of the Reception Hall where there are pastel drawings of the walking Buddha, a disciple and an angel which served as the blueprint for the murals in the ordination hall of Wat Rachathiwat and the western part, which was once the dining area and now boasts a carved wooden busabok throne and gold lacquer paintings. The area is used for the annual wai khru ceremony to pay homage to great artists and teachers.
A poster of Naris Day. Photo courtesy of Silpakorn Universi
The northern section of the hall, once the duty room for attendants, now houses a collection of khon masks and wooden sculptures, while the bed chamber on which there is a plaster model of the statue of King Rama I, designed by the prince and sculpted by Prof Silpa Bhirasri, is on view at the westernmost part of the house.
Admission to Ban Plainern is free, but donations are welcome. Books, souvenirs and rare Thai food will be on sale. Guided tours are available in Thai at 9.30am, 10.30am, 11.30am, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm, and in English at 8am.
Prince Naris was one of the 82 children of King Mongkut (Rama IV). He was born a phra ong chao (a class of prince/princess lower than chao faa) on April 28, 1863, and died on March 10, 1947. He attained the highest rank of somdej chaofa at the age of 80. He was the founder of the Chitrabongs family.
The prince has been recognised on the list of Unesco's important people. Among his achievements are his designs of the Marble Temple, the ordination hall of Wat Rachathiwat and many royal crematoria. His design for the royal cremation of King Rama VI was praised as the most beautiful busabok crematorium.
To commemorate the same occasion, Silpakorn University will host academic and photo exhibitions, a seminar, a concert and a religious ceremony to pay homage to the deities of arts and crafts and the spirits of art masters on April 20.
The exhibition on the prince's life and work, his royal-crematorium design as well as the seminar on royal crematoriums, royal funerals and music for royal funerals will take place at the university's Tha Phra campus on April 20. So will the concert by the university's music students.
From April 20-28, the exhibition on the award-winning design of letter fonts will be held on the hall on the ground floor of the university's auditorium. From April 20 to May 5, the "Through My Eyes" international photographic exhibition will take place at the university's art gallery.
For visiting Ban Plainern, email narisfoundation@gmail.com. For the university's event, call 02-849-7538 or 02-849-7564.
Prince Naris's art work. Photo courtesy of Naris Foundation
