Thai Sawankhalok Brown-Glazed Stoneware Mercury Bottle

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

A fine small gourd-shaped stoneware bottle with sloping shoulders, a long narrow neck, and a flaring rim—now partially lost—resting on a flat unglazed base. Two small loop handles are applied to the neck for suspension. The body is covered with a lustrous deep brown glaze that descends from the shoulders, characteristic of the refined wares produced at the Ban Ko Noi kilns of Sawankhalok in north-central Thailand.

Small bottles of this type were widely exported across Asia, notably to Japan, where they were adapted as furidashi—candy containers used in traditional tea ceremonies—and fitted with small wooden lids.

The Sawankhalok (Si Satchanalai) kilns, together with those of nearby Sukhothai, formed one of Southeast Asia’s most important ceramic production centers during the 14th–16th centuries. Sawankhalok wares are celebrated for their elegant forms, rich glazes, and technical sophistication, contrasting with the coarser, iron-flecked clays of Sukhothai. Their exports reached Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, and the Middle East, flourishing especially during the Ming Ban (1371–1509), when Chinese export restrictions opened international markets to Thai and Vietnamese ceramics.

An elegant and historically significant example of early Ayutthaya craftsmanship, reflecting the cosmopolitan reach of Thai ceramic artistry and trade.

Good condition. Surface wear consistent with age and use. Glazing defects and firing flaws. Beautiful patina. Size approx. 7,7cm x 6,3cm x 6,2cm. 

Provenance: Swedish private collection.

For a similar examples see:

Bottle with two vertical ring handles and lid, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian, Accession Number: F1901.86a-b (https://asia.si.edu/explore-art-culture/collections/search/edanmdm:fsg_F1901.86a-b/)

Oil-Bottle, The British Museum, Accession Number: Franks.1990 (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_Franks-1990)

Mercury bottle, National Museums Scotland, Accession Number: A.1906.588 (https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/collection-search-results/?item_id=319890)

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.