The Thonburi Ramakian – On the Journey of a Royal Siamese Manuscript to Berlin and the Aftermath of its Rediscovery
(See English below)
Wir freuen uns sehr, Ihnen den Vortrag von Herrn Dreßler und Frau Satayaphan zum Thema Thonburi Ramakian ankündigen zu dürfen. Unsere beiden Referent:innen werden am Donnerstag, dem 30. November ab 18 Uhr, einen Vortrag mit dem Titel „The Thonburi Ramakian – On the Journey of a Royal Siamese Manuscript to Berlin and the Aftermath of its Rediscovery„ im Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Saal (Potsdamer Straße 33, 10785 Berlin) halten.
On November 4th, 1834, the Royal Library in Berlin received a parcel from Singapore that contained twenty-two paper and palm leaf manuscripts, as well as printed books, written in nine Asian languages. The shipment had been dispatched by the German missionary Karl Gützlaff, who, at the request of the library, had collected manuscripts since his arrival in Asia in 1827. Due to its impressive craftsmanship and aesthetic properties, one piece in particular, a traditional Siamese leporello manuscript made of blackened papier-mâché (samut thai dam) containing a text written in golden ink, stood out from among the eclectic collection of Asiatica. Rather inadequately labeled a “Siamese Romance”, the folding book (Ms. or. fol. 333) fell into oblivion for over a century. Although the existence of this unusual manuscript had been known among scholars since the publication in 1963 of Professor Klaus Wenk’s catalogue of Thai manuscripts (VOHD No. 9,1), its significance for the history and transmission of classical Siamese literature was not appreciated until very recently. A comparison with similar material has revealed, that the manuscript preserves a hitherto unknown portion of the oldest datable (1770) adaptation of the Indian Ramayana epic in the Siamese language, a libretto for ballet (khon) composed by the ruler of the Thonburi Kingdom, King Taksin (r. 1767-1782). Manufactured in 1780 for the royal court, “Ms. or. fol. 333” had originally been the first volume of a set of five.
In this presentation, we shall reposition the manuscript in its historical context, retrace its journey from Bangkok to Berlin, examine the play’s content and presentation, as well as briefly assess its contemporary reception in Thai academia and society.
Die Vortragssprache ist Englisch. Wir bitten Sie um Voranmeldung für den Vortrag unter: ostasienabt@sbb.spk-berlin.de und eine kurze Mitteilung, falls Sie einen barrierefreien Zugang benötigen. Die Veranstaltung wird gefilmt.*
Der Vortrag wird darüber hinaus via Webex gestreamt und aufgezeichnet. Sie können am Vortrag über Ihren Browser ohne Installation einer Software teilnehmen. Klicken Sie dazu unten auf „Zum Vortrag“, folgen dem Link „Über Browser teilnehmen“ und geben Ihren Namen ein.
Alle bislang angekündigten Vorträge finden Sie hier. Die weiteren Termine kündigen wir in unserem Blog, auf unserem X-Account sowie auf Mastodon an.
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We are very pleased to announce the lecture by Mr. Dreßler and Ms. Satayaphan on Thonburi Ramakian. Mr Acri will give a lecture titled „The Thonburi Ramakian – On the Journey of a Royal Siamese Manuscript to Berlin and the Aftermath of its Rediscovery“ on Thursday 12 October from 6 p.m. in the Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Saal (Potsdamer Straße 33, 10785 Berlin).
On November 4th, 1834, the Royal Library in Berlin received a parcel from Singapore that contained twenty-two paper and palm leaf manuscripts, as well as printed books, written in nine Asian languages. The shipment had been dispatched by the German missionary Karl Gützlaff, who, at the request of the library, had collected manuscripts since his arrival in Asia in 1827. Due to its impressive craftsmanship and aesthetic properties, one piece in particular, a traditional Siamese leporello manuscript made of blackened papier-mâché (samut thai dam) containing a text written in golden ink, stood out from among the eclectic collection of Asiatica. Rather inadequately labeled a “Siamese Romance”, the folding book (Ms. or. fol. 333) fell into oblivion for over a century. Although the existence of this unusual manuscript had been known among scholars since the publication in 1963 of Professor Klaus Wenk’s catalogue of Thai manuscripts (VOHD No. 9,1), its significance for the history and transmission of classical Siamese literature was not appreciated until very recently. A comparison with similar material has revealed, that the manuscript preserves a hitherto unknown portion of the oldest datable (1770) adaptation of the Indian Ramayana epic in the Siamese language, a libretto for ballet (khon) composed by the ruler of the Thonburi Kingdom, King Taksin (r. 1767-1782). Manufactured in 1780 for the royal court, “Ms. or. fol. 333” had originally been the first volume of a set of five.
In this presentation, we shall reposition the manuscript in its historical context, retrace its journey from Bangkok to Berlin, examine the play’s content and presentation, as well as briefly assess its contemporary reception in Thai academia and society.
The lecture will be held in English. We kindly ask you to register in advance at: ostasienabt@sbb.spk-berlin.de, and to let us know if you need barrier-free access. The event will be filmed.*
The lecture will also be streamed and recorded via Webex. You can take part in the lecture using your browser without having to install a special software. Please click on the respective button “To the lecture” below, follow the link “join via browser” (“über Browser teilnehmen”), and enter your name.
You can find all previously announced lectures here. We will announce further dates in our blog, on X and Mastodon.
FJM