Abstract
Reverse glass paintings, a form of Chinese export art, were extensively traded in the nineteenth century. Several examples are on display in prominent Thai Buddhist monasteries in Bangkok. King Nangklao of Siam, Rama III, encouraged Sino-Siamese trade that brought Chinese objects and images to nineteenth-century Siam. The ideals of accretion and abundance characteristic of Thai Buddhism and the sinophilia of Rama III facilitated the construction of “Chinese-style” Thai temples. Glass paintings with scenes of the Pearl River Delta, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, auspicious objects, and bird-and-flower compositions were installed in temples and inspired new directions in Thai mural painting.
glass paintings, reverse glass, Chinese export art, Thai temples, Buddhist monasteries, Thai Buddhism, Rama III, King Nangklao, Third Reign, Sino-Siamese trade, Thai art, Samkok, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Pearl River Delta
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2016
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