Authors : Narit Vadhanabhu, Kittisan Sriruksa and Preechawut Apirating
Abstract: This study is part of the research titled "Form and Symbol of Gilt Lacquer Art in Luang Prabang". This research aims to study the history, forms, symbols and factors affecting the change of the Gilt Lacquer Art in Luang Prabang. This research paper presents only single objective the history of the Gilt Lacquer Art in Luang Prabang. Research tools include field surveys and unstructured interviews. Data collection is from documentary evidences of art and field experts. Study findings are as follows. History of the Gilt Lacquer Art in Luang Prabang is divided into five phases: the early Lan Xang period, the middle Lan Xang period, the late Lan Xang period, the external influences period and present (2017). The middle Lan Xang period was the time of King Setthathirat, as well as the time of the origin of Gilt Lacquer Art in the country which was inspired by the Thai Lanna gold gilding works. Another period is the influences from outside the country when Luang Prabang at that time was under the political power of Siam, thus, the Thai-Rattanakosin art style played a significant role in the pattern and artwork. The extension of this kind of artwork is based on the cultural diffusion theory of which the British believe that the occurrence of things in parallelism is difficult in other words, creation of works was from a more prosperous source spread into another source in a linear pattern.
Narit Vadhanabhu, Kittisan Sriruksa and Preechawut Apirating, 2019. Gilt Lacquer Art in Luang Prabang: History and Cultural Diffusion. Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 14: 2553-2558.