5/5 Zhao Lu S. 2 years ago on Google
It
was
believed
that
Chulalongkorn
had
desired
for
an
equestrian
statue
since
he
was
a
young
King.
In
the
13
June
1874
edition
of
The
Illustrated
London
News,
it
was
reported
that
a
silver
equestrian
statue
of
Chulalongkorn
was
cast
by
an
English
metallurgist
of
the
Messrs.
Hunt
and
Roskell
by
Chulalongkorn's
commission.
However,
there
are
no
other
source
or
evidence
that
mentioned
of
this
fact.
During
Chulalongkorn's
second
'Grand
Tour'
of
Europe
in
1907,
he
visited
the
Palace
of
Versailles
in
France
and
made
a
remark
that
he
was
impressed
by
the
Equestrian
Statue
of
King
Louis
XIV
and
thought
that
if
an
equestrian
statue
of
him
were
to
be
erected
at
a
plaza
between
Ratchadamnoen
Avenue
and
the
Ananta
Samakhom
Throne
Hall,
it
would
be
majestic
which
were
similar
to
other
modern
nations
in
Europe.
However,
there
are
also
argument
that
Chulalongkorn
rather
made
a
remark
about
the
statue
of
Italian
King
Victor
Emmanuel
II
in
Milan,
Italy
that
it
was
"very
beautiful".
This
is
supported
by
the
fact
that
Chulalongkorn
had
expressed
his
interest
and
fascination
in
the
sculpture
and
metallurgy
of
Italy
since
his
first
'Grand
Tour'
of
Europe
in
1897.
His
remark
was
later
made
known
to
Crown
Prince
Vajiravudh,
the
regent
of
Siam
at
that
time,
and
after
consultation
with
his
ministers,
they
proposed
that
in
commemoration
of
Chulalongkorn's
40th
anniversary
of
his
accession
to
the
throne
in
1908,
an
equestrian
statue
were
to
be
erected
by
public
donation.
After
Chulalongkorn's
approval,
Prince
Charoonsak
Kridakara,
Siamese
ambassador
to
France,
was
assigned
to
find
a
suitable
foundry
for
the
sculpture.
He
recommended
Susse
Frères,
a
well-known
foundry
company
located
in
Paris,
France
because
it
was
satisfactory
in
terms
of
reputation,
price
and
experience.
Two
French
prominent
metallurgist,
Clovis-Edmond
Masson
and
Georges
Saulo,
were
in
charge
of
such
work.
On
22
August
1907,
Chulalongkorn
went
to
the
Susse
Frères
foundry
and
mounted
on
a
horse
statue
to
be
modeled.
The
statue
was
initially
modeled
after
an
equestrian
statue
of
the
Spanish
King
Alfonso
XIII,
whose
statue
had
just
been
cast
by
Susse
Frères
in
1906.
However,
since
Alfonso
XIII
was
a
tall
and
slender
man,
the
statue
had
to
be
adjusted
to
the
body
of
Chulalongkorn.
The
statue
was
complete
and
then
shipped
to
Siam,
reaching
the
port
in
Bangkok
on
11
November
1908,
which
coincided
with
Rajamangalabhisek
Royal
Ceremony
which
commemorated
Chulalongkorn's
40th
anniversary
of
his
accession
to
the
throne,
the
longest-reigning
monarch
in
Siamese
history.
The
budget
for
the
statue
was
estimated
to
be
around
200,000
baht
but
the
money
donated
from
the
public
exceeded
the
expected
amount
to
around
1,200,000
baht.
The
excess
of
such
amount
was
offered
to
Chulalongkorn
for
future
public
use
upon
his
discretion.
However,
before
deciding
what
the
money
should
be
spent
on,
Chulalongkorn
died
on
23
October
1910.
His
successor,
Vajiravudh,
later
used
such
money
to
build
Chulalongkorn
University
in
his
honor.
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