"The Kingdom of Siam" @ Asian Art Museum, San Francisco

[ttaaee]

During Fer 18 - May 8, 2005, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is currently running an exhibition, "The Kingdom of Siam: The Art of Central Thailand 1350–1800".

In case you're planning to be in San Francisco sometime during that time, don't forget to include a trip to the museum in your plan.

According to one of its webpages:

- The second most important collection of Thai paintings outside of Thailand.
- A comprehensive collection of Thai ceramics, a representative survey of Thai sculpture, a collection of krises (daggers) from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand, and other furnishings and ritual objects.

Well, I was hoping for more from "the second most important collection of Thai paitings outside of Thailand" when I visited the musem last year. But that being said, a trip to the museum is worthwhile.

[ttaaee]

Originally posted on 2Bangkok.com main page on March 3rd, 05

Thai prime minister orders investigation of golden crown allegedly taken from temple - AP, March 1, 2005

...The pure gold, 5-kilogram (11-pound), 19-centimeter- (7.5-inch-) tall crown, currently on exhibit at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, reportedly disappeared in 1957 when a temple in central Thailand was robbed by antiques thieves, local television station ITV reported Monday.
...According to Thai art historians quoted Tuesday in local media, thieves in 1957 broke into the temple in Ayutthaya province, 70 kilometers (44 miles) north of Bangkok, and stole royal gold antique urns, accessories and other artifacts. There were no laws at the time prohibiting the trade of Thai antiques...

Thailand to seek return of ancient crown from US - AFP, March 1, 2005

...Jakrapob Penkair said the cabinet agreed to seek the return of the crown dating from the Ayutthaya period, which stretched from the 14th to 18th centuries.
...Jakrapob did not elaborate on what grounds the return of the treasure, which belongs to a private collector, would be sought...

Wait a minute... That's the same Asian Art Museum I was talking about!

[Yappofloyd]

^yes Khun ttaaee, exactly what I thought when I read the paper this morning. See Taksin does occasionally read 2bangkok.com.

You may have created an international incident though!

[ttaaee]

Uh-Oh