Thai Sawankhalok Brown-Glazed Stoneware Bottle

Ayutthaya Kingdom Period, c. 1300–1500 AD, Ban Ko Noi Kilns, Sawankhalok, Thailand

A fascinating small stoneware bottle with a globular body and a corseted neck that flares outward before tapering to a circular lipped rim. The shoulder is embellished with two tubular loop handles, while a lustrous deep brown iron glaze covers the upper portion of the vessel. Produced at the Ban Ko Noi kilns in north-central Thailand, this piece exemplifies the refined ceramic tradition of Sawankhalok (Si Satchanalai), also known as Sangkhalok ware.

Emerging from the Sukhothai Kingdom period (1238–1438), the royal cities of Sukhothai and Si Satchanalai became the heart of one of Southeast Asia’s largest ceramic-producing centers during the 14th century. Sukhothai wares are known for their coarser clay and iron-rich inclusions—visible as dark or silvery specks—while Sawankhalok ceramics are noted for their technical precision and elegant simplicity, producing jars, bottles, kendis, bowls, and plates of enduring form.

From the hundreds of kilns along the Yom River, these wares were exported in vast quantities across Asia, reaching Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, and even the Middle East. Their trade flourished particularly during the Ming Ban (1371–1509), when Chinese export restrictions opened foreign markets to Thai and Vietnamese ceramics.

Small bottles of this type were highly prized in Japan, where they were adapted as furidashi—candy containers used in traditional tea ceremonies—and fitted with small wooden lids.

An elegant and historically significant piece reflecting the international reach of early Thai craftsmanship and the aesthetic refinement of the Sawankhalok ceramic tradition.

Excellent condition. Intact. Light surface wear consistent with age and use. Glazing defects and firing flaws. Beautiful patina. Size approx. 6,1cm x 5,6cm x 5,6cm. 

Provenance: Swedish private collection 

References and further reading:

Thai ceramics, National Museums Scotland.

The ceramics of southeast Asia: Thei 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.