The architecture of the palace has a mix of traditional
Lao motifs and French
Beaux-Arts styles. It is laid out in a double-cruciform shape, with the entrance on one side of the lower crossbar. Above the entrance is a three-headed elephant sheltered by the sacred white parasol, the symbol of the Lao monarchy. The steps to the entrance are made of Italian marble. There are royal religious objects on display in the large entrance hall. On the right of the entrance is the king's reception room, where busts of the
Luang Phrabang and later, Lao monarchs are displayed along with two large gilded and lacquered
Ramayana screens, crafted by local artisan
Thit Tanh. The walls are covered with murals that depict scenes from traditional Lao lifestyles, painted in 1930 by French artist
Alix de Fauntereau. Each of the walls is intended to be viewed at a different time of day, depending on the light that enters the windows on one side of the room, which matches the time of day depicted. In the right front corner room of the palace, which opens to the outside, is a collection of the palace's most prized art, including the
Phra Bang, cast of a gold, silver, and bronze alloy. This
Buddha stands 83 cm tall and weighs around 50 kg. Legend has it that the statue was made around the 1st century in
Sri Lanka and was later gifted by the
Khmer king to his son-in-law
King Fa Ngum, in 1359. The
Siamese twice took the image to Thailand, in 1779 and 1827, but it was returned to Laos by
King Mongkut in 1867. The room includes another Buddha, engraved with large elephant tusks, and three beautiful
saew mâi khán (embroidered silk screens with religious imagery) that were crafted by the queen. On the left of the entrance hall, the secretary's reception room is filled with paintings, silver, and china that have been presented to Laos as diplomatic gifts from Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Poland, Hungary, Russia, Japan, Vietnam, China, Nepal, the United States, Canada, and Australia. These objects are grouped by "socialist" and "capitalist" countries. One exhibit donated by the US is a piece of
Moon rock obtained by an
Apollo mission. The next room to the left was once the queen's reception room. Large royal portraits of
King Savang Vatthana,
Queen Khamphoui, and
Crown Prince Vong Savang, painted by Russian artist
Ilya Glazunov in 1967, are hung on the walls. There are friendship flags from China and Vietnam and replicas of sculpture from the
Indian National Museum. In the far rooms are the
royal family's bedrooms and living quarters. The bedrooms have been preserved as they were in 1975, when the
king was forced from the palace. There is a dining hall and a room that contains royal seals and medals. The
throne room contains the
crown jewels of Laos. ==Gallery==