Bangkok--8 Dec--Tamnak Prathom Heritage Home
“Princely Things” , an exhibition featuring a collection of rarely seen objects, ranging from solid gold birth plaque and royal regalias to porcelains and dinnerwares belonging to HRH Prince Chudadhuj Dharadilok, (1892-1923) son of Their Majesties King Rama V and Queen Saovabha, will be the main attraction at the annual Afternoon Tea and Open House at the Tamnak Prathom Heritage Home, Nondhaburi in Ngarmwongwan Soi 2, beginning Sunday, December 17.
Featured in the exhibition, also, will be the collection of emblem glassware belonging to Her Majesty Queen Saovabha, which was a gift from King Rama V following his first visit to Europe.
Miniature toy dinner sets made of silver and Japanese porcelains belonging to the Princess’ daughter, HH Princess Sudasiri Sobha (1921-1998), will also be on view, along with the Princess’s own collection of Venetian and Bohemian glassware.
The annual fundraiser, to benefit Her Majesty Queen Saovabha’s Fund and HH Princess Sudasiri Sobha’s Fund for the Thai Red Cross, will be opened by Thanphuying M.R. Putrie Viravaidhya, Deputy Principle Secretary to His Majesty the King at 3 p.m. and will be folowed by a house tour and gala tea party of traditional English tea and scones.
To round off the year-long 90th anniversary celebration of the Chudadhuj Harp, the first harp to be brought to Thailand by Prince Chudadhuj, a harp and violin duo concert, “Songs My Mother Tuaght Me”, will be held by mother-daughter pair, Miyoko and Ema Mitarai, held on the lawns of Tamnak Prathom.
Following the gala opening, the exhibition will be on view daily to Sunday,December 24, 2006 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during which harp music will be played everyday from 11.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m.
The week-long open house will culminate the following weekend with tea and concert by the Tamnak Prathom Harp Ensemble on Saturday, December 23, held in an informal setting on the lawn.
Tamnak Prathom, built in 1919, was the first structure in Petchaboon Palace (now Central World, Rajprasong) of Prince Chudadhuj. When Petchaboon Palace was expropriated in 1984, His Majesty the King granted permission to the Prince’s heir to move Tamnak Prathom to its present location in Nodhaburi. It was dismantled and reassembled according to its original plan by conservation architect, Sunon Palakavongse na Ayudhya of the Fine Arts University, and was awarded its status as heritage home by the Association of Siamese Architects in 1985.
"Entrance fee to the daily opening is 50 baht per person, while tickets to the gala opening and concert is at 550 baht and the 300 baht the concert on Saturday, December 23.For further information, please call 02 261 4777-8 ,02 261 6769 and 02 589 7173 press 0
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