SiameseEmbassyToLouisXIV1686NicolasLarmessin

The Siamese embassy to France in 1686 was the second such mission from the

Kingdom of Siam Kingdom of Siam may refer to: * Sukhothai Kingdom (1238–1351) * Ayutthaya Kingdom (1351–1767) * Thonburi Kingdom (1768–1782) * Rattanakosin Kingdom (1782–1932) * Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and official ...

. The embassy was sent by King

Narai King Narai the Great ( th, สมเด็จพระนารายณ์มหาราช, , ) or Ramathibodi III ( th, รามาธิบดีที่ ๓ ) was the 27th monarch of Ayutthaya Kingdom, the 4th and last monarch of the Pr ...

and led by ambassador

Kosa Pan Kosa Pan ( th, ปาน; 1633 – 15 November 1699) was a Siamese diplomat and minister who led the second Siamese embassy to France sent by King Narai in 1686.Rajanubhab, D., 2001, ''Our Wars With the Burmese,'' Bangkok: White Lotus Co. Ltd., ...

. This embassy was preceded by the First Siamese Embassy to France, composed of two Siamese ambassadors and Father , who had left Siam for France on January 5, 1684.

The embassy

The embassy set out for France in 1686, accompanying the return of the 1685 French embassy to Siam of

Chevalier de Chaumont Alexandre, Chevalier de Chaumont (1640 – 28 January 1710 in Paris) was the first French ambassador for King Louis XIV in Siam in 1685.Chakrabongse, C., 1960, Lords of Life, London: Alvin Redman Limited He was accompanied on his mission by Ab ...

and

François-Timoléon de Choisy François Timoléon, abbé de Choisy (; 16 August 1644 – 2 October 1724) was a French cross-dresser, abbé, and author. He wrote numerous works on church history as well as travelogues, memoirs and fiction. Biography De Choisy was born in Pari ...

on two French ships. The embassy was bringing a proposal for an eternal alliance between France and Siam. It remained in France from June 1686 to March 1687. Kosa Pan was accompanied by two other Siamese ambassadors, Ok-luang Kanlaya Ratchamaitri and Ok-khun Si Wisan Wacha, and by the

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

Father

Guy Tachard Guy Tachard (; 1651 – 1712), also known as Père Tachard, was a French Jesuit missionary and mathematician of the 17th century, who was sent on two occasions to the Kingdom of Siam by Louis XIV. He was born in Marthon, near Angoulême. In 1 ...

. Kosa Pan's embassy was met with a rapturous reception and caused a sensation in the courts and society of Europe. The mission landed at

Brest, France Brest (; ) is a port city in the Finistère department, Brittany. Located in a sheltered bay not far from the western tip of the peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French mi ...

before continuing its journey to

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

, constantly surrounded by crowds of curious onlookers. The "exotic" clothes as well as manners of the envoys (including their

kowtow A kowtow is the act of deep respect shown by prostration, that is, kneeling and bowing so low as to have one's head touching the ground. In Sinospheric culture, the kowtow is the highest sign of reverence. It was widely used to show reverence ...

ing to

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

during their palace visit on September 1, 1686), together with a special "machine" that was used to carry King Narai's missive to the French monarch caused much comment in French high society. The machine is called '' butsabok'' in Thai. Kosa Pan's great interest in French maps and images was noted in a contemporary issue of the '' Mercure Galant''.

Presents

The embassy brought many gifts to present to Louis XIV, including gold, tortoise shells, fabrics, carpets, more than 1,500 pieces of

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises mainl ...

, and lacquer furniture. Two silver Siamese cannons were presented to Louis XIV; they were seized by French revolutionaries in 1789 to be used in the

Storming of the Bastille The Storming of the Bastille (french: Prise de la Bastille ) occurred in Paris, France, on 14 July 1789, when revolutionary insurgents stormed and seized control of the medieval armoury, fortress, and political prison known as the Bastille. At t ...

Purchases

The embassy ordered vast amounts of French products to be shipped to the Siamese court: 4,264 mirrors similar to those of the

Galerie des Glaces The Hall of Mirrors (french: Grande Galerie, Galerie des Glaces, Galerie de Louis XIV) is a grand Baroque style gallery and one of the most emblematic rooms in the royal Palace of Versailles near Paris, France. The grandiose ensemble of the h ...

were ordered to decorate Narai's palace, through

Jean-Baptiste Colbert Jean-Baptiste Colbert (; 29 August 1619 – 6 September 1683) was a French statesman who served as First Minister of State from 1661 until his death in 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His lasting impact on the organization of the countr ...

to the factory of

Saint Gobain Saint Gobain (died 670), also known as Goban, was an Irish monk and spiritual student of Saint Fursey at Burgh Castle, Norfolk, England. Born in Ireland, he was a brother of Saint Wasnon, (to whom a church is dedicated in Condé-sur-l'Escaut). ...

. Among other orders were 160 French cannons, telescopes, glasses, clocks and various

velvet Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means ...

pieces and

crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...

decorative elements. They also ordered two geographical globes, inscribed in

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

by French artisans, as well as seven carpets from the

Savonnerie manufactory The Savonnerie manufactory was the most prestigious European manufactory of knotted-pile carpets, enjoying its greatest period c. 1650–1685; the cachet of its name is casually applied to many knotted-pile carpets made at other centers. The manuf ...

Influences

The Siamese Embassy to France in 1686 had brought to the Court samples of multicolor Thai ''

Ikat ''Ikat'' (in Indonesian languages means "bind") is a dyeing technique originating from Indonesia used to pattern textiles that employs resist dyeing on the yarns prior to dyeing and weaving the fabric. In ''ikat'', the resist is formed by bi ...

'' textiles. These were enthusiastically adopted by the French nobility to become ''Toiles flammées'' or ''

Siamoise Siamoise is a term for various woven fabric varieties, usually cotton and linen blends, with patterns such as checks and stripes. Siamoise was so named because it imitated clothing worn by 17th century Siamese ambassadors. History At first, Si ...

s de Rouen'' often with checkered blue-and-white designs. After the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

and its repudiation of foreign luxury, the textiles were named "Toiles des Charentes" or cottons of

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

. File:Siamoise flammee France 18th century.jpg, ''Siamoise flammée'' textile, derived from

, French manufacture, 18th century File:Woman in dress made of Siamoise material 1687.jpg, Woman in dress made of ''Siamoise'' ("Siamese") textile, 1687 A fragmentary Siamese account of the mission compiled by Kosa Pan was discovered in Paris in the 1980s. The embassy's encounter with Louis XIV is depicted in numerous paintings of the period. The embassy of Kosa Pan was soon followed by another in 1688, led by

Ok-khun Chamnan Ok-khun Chamnan Chaichong ( th, ออกขุนชำนาญใจจง) was a Siamese diplomat who visited France and Rome on an embassy in 1688. He was preceded by the embassy of Kosa Pan in 1686. Failed embassy to Portugal (1684) Ok-khun ...

Notes

References

* Gunn, Geoffrey C. (2003) ''First Globalization: The Eurasian Exchange, 1500-1800'' Rowman & Littlefield * Smithies, Michael (1999), ''A Siamese embassy lost in Africa 1686'', Silkworm Books, Bangkok, * Smithies, Michael (2002), ''Three military accounts of the 1688 "Revolution" in Siam'', Itineria Asiatica, Orchid Press, Bangkok, * Suarez, Thomas (1999) ''Early Mapping of Southeast Asia'' Tuttle Publishing * Baghdiantz McCabe, Ina 2008 ''Orientalism in Early Modern France'', {{ISBN, 978-1-84520-374-0, Berg Publishing, Oxford * Schenk, Moritz: Die Reise der siamesischen Botschafter an den Hof des Sonnenkönigs (1686-1687). Zürich, 2013 1686 in France 1686 in international relations Diplomatic missions in France France–Thailand relations History of the foreign relations of France History of the foreign relations of Thailand Treaties of the Kingdom of France

The embassy

Presents

Purchases

Influences

See also

Notes

References