Zone 3 : The Traveler Prince | ฝ่ายจดหมายเหตุและพิพิธภัณฑ์ หอสมุดและคลังความรู้มหาวิทยาลัยมหิดล

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Zone 3 : The Traveler Prince

Zone 3 : The Traveler Prince

The zone concentrates on the prince’s quest for knowledge.

Having accompanied his mother, Queen Savang Vadhana, on her provincial trips, he had the opportunity to witness the country and people’s way of living. During his student years abroad, he loved to travel to gain knowledge in the wide world and visit museums. Keen on studying the details of local history, he kept a personal log-book and portrayed his experiences and knowledge gained during his multiple trips through art works ranging from sketches, drawings and photographs to scribbles in postcards.

A Traveler Who Broadened his Horizons

Ever since his young days, Prince Mahidol of Songkla had accompanied his mother, Queen Savang Vadhana, on her visits to various provincial towns in the Central Plains and in the South as well as during her stay at Si Racha Royal Residence. The trips provided a good opportunity for the young prince to witness the country and people’s way of living in rural areas.

During his student years at European military and naval institutes, Prince Mahidol loved to travel. On each of such trips the Prince was keen on studying the details of local history and works of art and broadening his knowledge and experience. On his 1912 Europe - U.S.A. naval exercises conducted at sea, the Prince kept a personal logbook of drawings and photographs along with geographical, historical, economic, architecture, art, navigation and military information, including personal observations, about the various places he visited. These clearly indicate his fervent attention to the academic tasks as well as his thirst for knowledge.

“Any person who fails to visit the local museum of the town of his or her visit is not a civilized person”. Visiting museums was the Prince’s favourite pursuit. He always taught his students to open their hearts and minds to modern sciences and technologies in the world outside the classroom.

Art and the Prince: Combining Art with Travelling

Early in his stay in Britain at the age of 15, Prince Mahidol of Songkla’s talent in water-colour paintings was so vivid that he was acclaimed as a would-be famed artist.

However, his art occupation lasted only in his student years in Britain and Germany. There was no evidence of any more artistic works after that period, which could be attributed to his dedication to significant activities for the benefit of the country.

Prince Mahidol’s works, be they drawings, paintings, photographs or postcard scribbles, contained background stories stemming from his personal experiences gained during his visits to places during naval exercises, sightseeing, convalescence from his illness and recreation. Each of them was presented from an aesthete’s perspective, sometimes interspersed with humour.