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Description

This copperplate engraving features nine individual views of Thailand and accompanying textual descriptions on a single sheet, from Chatelain's Atlas Historique.  It provides a rich visual and textual account of 18th-century Siam (modern-day Thailand), showcasing various aspects of its culture, religion, and society.

The top row begins with the depiction of the "Ballon du Roy à 120 Rameurs," an elaborate royal barge adorned with intricate carvings and a pyramidal throne, rowed by 120 oarsmen. This vessel is described as a symbol of royal grandeur, used during important ceremonies. The central image, "Vue de Siam," offers a panoramic view of the bustling city, highlighting the riverine trade and diverse population. To the right, "Pagode de Siam" illustrates a grand temple complex surrounded by lush gardens and pagodas, reflecting the architectural and religious splendor of the region.

In the middle row, the engraving focuses on Siam's royal and cultural traditions. "Le Roy Monte sur Son Éléphant" depicts the king ceremonially mounting a lavishly adorned elephant, attended by courtiers who prostrate in reverence. "Manière de Monter les Élèphants" details the process of training and mounting elephants, showcasing the practical and symbolic significance of these animals. "Du Betel & de l’Areque" shifts attention to the natural world, depicting the betel and areca plants, staples of local customs, with a description of their cultural and medicinal uses.

The bottom row explores other facets of Siamese life and hierarchy. "Ballon des Gentils Hommes" shows another type of ornate barge used by nobility, emphasizing the craftsmanship and prestige associated with these vessels. "Talapoin Allant par la Ville" portrays a Buddhist monk, or Talapoin, walking through the city with an alms bowl, offering a glimpse into the religious practices of Siam. The final image, "Mandarin Qui Parle à Un de Ses Gens," captures a Mandarin speaking to a subordinate, illustrating the attire and social hierarchy in Siamese society.

This engraving is both a visual and textual ethnographic account, providing insight into the architecture, religious customs, royal ceremonies, and social structures of 18th-century Siam. 

Henri Chatelain Biography

Henri Abraham Chatelain (1684-1743) was a Huguenot pastor of Parisian origins. Chatelain proved a successful businessman, creating lucrative networks in London, The Hague, and then Amsterdam. He is most well known for the Atlas Historique, published in seven volumes between 1705 and 1720. This encyclopedic work was devoted to the history and genealogy of the continents, discussing such topics as geography, cosmography, topography, heraldry, and ethnography. Published thanks to a partnership between Henri, his father, Zacharie, and his younger brother, also Zacharie, the text was contributed to by Nicolas Gueudeville, a French geographer. The maps were by Henri, largely after the work of Guillaume Delisle, and they offered the general reader a window into the emerging world of the eighteenth century.