Asia Society Home Asia Society Home
  1 of 4  next >
enlarge image map of region
related objects
SOUTHEAST ASIAN OBJECTS FROM THE COLLECTION
BURMA (MYANMAR)
Sculpture from Burma (Myanmar)
CAMBODIA
Sculpture from Cambodia
INDONESIA
Sculpture from Indonesia
THAILAND
Sculpture from Thailand
Ceramics from Thailand
VIETNAM
Ceramics from Vietnam
Jar
Thailand; 15th - 16th century
Stoneware with incised design under glaze (Si Satchanalai ware)
H. 8 1/8 in. (20.6 cm); D. 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm)
Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection of Asian Art
1979.092
The unusual shape, body, and glaze of this jar point to the striking variety of wares that have been associated with the Sawankhalok kilns in northern Thailand. The buff-colored body of this jar is decorated with a deeply incised design of curving lines that has been covered with a thin, transparent sea-green glaze. These incised decorations are typical of those from Sawankhalok which were rarely naturalistic and instead are usually stylized versions of Chinese motifs or motifs borrowed from other, already developed local art mediums such as textiles or architecture. Much of the ceramics produced at the Sawankhalok kilns were destined for export, especially during the late 14th and 15th century when the Chinese court attempted to ban private Chinese overseas trade, claiming that their coastal peoples would be corrupted by contact with the "southern barbarians." At sites dated 15th to mid 16th century in Indonesia and the Philippines, Thai wares often comprises 20 percent and sometimes as much as 40 percent of the ceramic finds.
Home |  South Asia |  Himalaya |  Southeast Asia |  China & Mongolia |  Korea |  Japan
Treasures |  Guided Tour |  Timeline |  Search
About the Asia Society | The Rockefellers and the Asia Society | Site Map
Credits | ©Copyright 2007 Asia Society