Thai Si Satchanalai Brown Glazed Stoneware Human Figure

Sukhothai Kingdom period or Ayutthaya period, early 15th to mid. 16th century, Sukhothai province, Si Satchanalai, Pa Yang kilns, Thailand

Impressive hand-modelled stoneware figure of a seated woman. Sawankhalok/Si Satchanalai ceramic wares (called also Sangkhalok) are ancient Thai traditional ceramic ware specifically derived from Sukhothai Kingdom period (1238-1438). The royal cities of Sukhothai and Si Satchanalai in north-central Thailand were at the heart of one of the largest ceramic-producing centres in Southeast Asia during the 14th century. Sukhothai is known for it coarser clay and has many small black specks due to the high iron content of the clay. Sometimes, these inclusions can be brown, red or silvery. Like Sukhothai, Sawankhalok mainly created relatively simple shapes - jars, bottles, kendis, bowls and plates. Ceramic wares from the hundreds of kilns located along the Yom River in Si Satchanalai as well as from Sukhothai city were exported in vast quantities to Indonesia and the Philippines where demand was great. Sawankhalok ware was also exported to Japan and the Middle-East. The export of both Thai and Vietnamese ceramics experienced a surge when the Chinese imperial court placed a ban on foreign export during the Ming period (Ming Ban 1, 1371-1509), leaving a gap to be filled.

Facinating small-sized figure of squatting hunchbacked woman with chignon, wearing dotted sarong and long belt with sashes, and holding water pots? Glazed stoneware with molded and incised decoration, brown/black glaze and white glaze over white slip. Good condition. Age-related wear. Glazing defects and firing flaws. Beautiful patina. Size approx. 12,5cm x 6,9cm x 6,0cm. 

Provenance: Finnish private collection

For a similar example see:

Vessel in the form of a seated elderly woman, National Museum of Asian Art, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Accession Number: F1994.22 (https://asia.si.edu/object/F1994.22/)

References and further reading:

Thai ceramics, National Museums Scotland.

The ceramics of southeast Asia: Their dating and identification (2nd ed.), R.M. Brown, Singapore, Singapore: Oxford Univesity Press, 1988.

Last shipments from the Thai Sawankhalok Kilns, R.M. Brown, Art from Thailand, pp. 93-103. Mumbai, Marg Publications, 1999.

A Field Guide to Glazed Thai Ceramics, Dawn F. Rooney, Asian Perspectives, Vol 28. No 2, pp. 125-144, University of Hawai'i Press, 1988-89.