螺鈿と王権―近世近代タイ装飾美術の含意―

Thailand experienced a period in which mother-of-pearl decorative arts flourished as they were used for offerings to Buddhist temples and as utensils in the royal household. The production dates of some of these mother-of-pearl decorative works are known, with the oldest dated examples produced around the middle of the 18th century. These early works are large in scale, namely temple doors adorned with mother-ofpearl. We can surmise that earlier works of this type existed, given the massive scale and expertise shown in known works, but those earlier works have yet to be identified. There has previously been no detailed explanation of how these mother-of-pearl decorative arts changed from the time of their inception. This article clarifies one part of the art historical and technical changes that occurred in Thai mother-of-pearl decorative arts, a subject that has previously been almost completely unexamined. In this process I have establisheda group of benchmark works whose production dates areknown, discussed the mother-of-pearl doors thought to have been made in the royal workshops, and considered a chronological ordering and division based on the details and changes seen in the motif and design style and in the expressive methods used. Further considering that these doors closely linked to the royal court may reflect on the historical context of the courtly art being produced during each respective period, I would like to clarify the historical meaning of these changes in mother-of-pearl doors. An examination of the motifs, expressive methods and techniques used clarified that changes in Thai mother-of-pearl doors can be largely divided into three periods, and the characteristics of each period. The motifs change fromimagery in the Traibhumikatha showing the Buddhist worldview to those based on the Ramakien epic tale which states the religious basis for royal authority, and finally to Western style methods of showing “symbols” and “emblems”of royal authority. Stylistically, during the first period there was a right/left symmetrical, planar, quiet expression. The second period shows a bold introduction of painterly expression, and some energetic expression. The third period returns to a stiffcomposition and a revival of the symmetrical forms seen in the first period. Technically, thick shell, lacquer ground mother-of-pearl was used across the three periods, with designs made up of small shell fragments. During the second period several new expressive techniques were introduced, such as sprinkled tiny shell flakes, large shell fragments and fine line carving. These methods allowed the creation of painterly expression that we can surmise occurred thanks to contact with non-Thai mother-of-pearl work. The royal family dedicated the majority of these mother-of-pearl of decorative arts, such as the mother-of-pearl temple doors discussed above, to temples, and thus we can see how these works were greatly influenced by the court’s contact with foreign culture over time and the political needs of the day. This study focused on the mother-of-pearl doors that were an aspect of court culture, as it examined the changes in those doors over time and their meaning. My hope is that this report will form the basis for future studies on Thai mother-of-pearl decorative arts and their beginnings, techniques and will also advance research on other forms of mother-of-pearl works.