Touched by textiles

Phaothong Thongchua, the well known fine arts consultant and textile collector, recently opened his home in Lamphun to talk about his passion - a very private collection of more than 6,000 pieces of rare silks and other fabrics, some dating back to the reign of King Rama III.

"They give off an old scent that's completely different from ancient rock or wood. It's an odour that brings back memories of my course in Conservation and Preservation. Because they were worn, textiles keep some of the human soul and that means, I can travel back to the post," says Phaothong, who took time out from his hectic schedule to act as guide on a media junket on a Nok Air trip from Chiang Mai to Lumphun.

He started by inheriting some textiles and exchanging goods for others.

"I paid the aristocrats or their servants for them with a colour television or a refrigerator as they didn't know how to price them. Usually, they were  asked for Benjarong porcelain or jewellery," he says. "These people tend to have plenty of clothes and fabrics and discard of them when they are old. I wanted them because they had value for me and were useful for my classes and students."

Phaothong carefully unwraps an Islamic textile and explains that the fabric dates back to King Rama II's reign and was owned by Khun Liam, a wife of the king and the mother of King Rama III.

"She inherited it from an Islamic consultant to King Rama I. Islam always has textiles for performing their prayers. On this one, prayers are woven in Farsi Yeh, the Arab alphabet, on the fringe," he says.

Another highlight is a royal gown belonging to King Rama V. The Bhu-Nja-Prong fabric, which was especially brought over from Manchester in the UK laced with gold and silver thread, and used for a special ceremony

"The royal embroidery department would spend about one year working on a gown, which would be worn for just one ceremony then set aside."

By the size, he estimates that the gown was used earlier on during the monarch's reign. The Jim Thompson Foundation once borrowed this gown and another belonging King Rama IV to display during an open house event. HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn visited and complimented both the foundation and Phaothong on the gowns.

In pride of place is an ancient funeral pall that belonged to one of Phaothong's ancestors. It's usually kept in Bangkok and was last used at his mother's funeral.

"Today, it's only used for the bathing rites and doesn't directly touch the body," he says.

While he loves all textiles, he is especially fond of Middle Eastern fabrics, particularly the Bedouin carpet weaves that furnish his living room in Lumphun.

When he dies, he's planning to leave his entire library of books to Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn for her library or perhaps build his own public library so everyone can understand the amazing history of textiles.