Thai Ceramics

This book is published in conjunction with the exhibition of the James and Elaine Connell Collection at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco in late 1993. In addition to catalogue entries written by Nancy Tingley, it contains scholarly contributions by John Guy, John Shaw, and Louise Allison Cort on recent archaeological research at the Thai kiln sites, the role of Thai ceramics in maritime trade, and Japanese evidence concerning the dispersal and chronology of Thai ceramics.

Southeast Asia is known to many as a region teeming with tourist destinations, economic opportunities and ex-colonies, but a lesser known facet is its colourful and myriad cultures in which ceramics form an integral part of the social fabric. Focusing primarily on the Classical Period (800-1500 CE), this book views ancient Southeast Asian culture through the lens of ceramic production and trade, influenced but not completely overshadowed by its powerful neighbour, China. In this landmark publication, noted archaeologist and scholar John N. Miksic constructs a vivid picture of the development of Southeast Asia's unique ceramics. Along with three contributing authors - Pamela M. Watkins, Dawn F. Rooney and Michael Flecker - he summarizes the fruits of their research over the last forty years, beginning in Singapore with the founding of the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society in 1969. The result is a comprehensive and insightful overview of the technology, aesthetics and organization, both economic and political, of seemingly diverse territories in pre-colonial Southeast Asia. It is essential reading for all those with an interest in the economic history of the region, and also for anyone who seeks a better understanding of the brilliant but too often underestimated material culture of Southeast Asia.

Between the 13th and 15th centuries, a number of exceptional ceramic wares were produced in Thailand, not only in the kilns of Sukhothai and Sawankhalok, which have long been famous, but also in many others, such as those at Kalong and Sankampaeng in the north of the country. In this book, Kenji Itoi, scholar and collector, presents 100 quality plates with accompanying text that describes many of the pieces illustrated. Originally published in Japanese as a catalogue in conjunction with an exhibition at the Toyama Museum of Fine Art in 1985, this new English edition includes a revised and extended text, and twenty new illustrations.

This publication is a detailed study of the 14th - 16th century Thai ceramic wares that played a role in the local Buddhist, Brahman and Animist religious ceremonies, approached from an art historical point of view. It also establishes the degree of interaction between the many cultures that influenced the form, design, function and usage of these wares, and draws on the underlying historic, religious and stylistic linkages with India, China, Sri Lanka, Burma Cambodia and other parts of Southeast Asia. A background to the history, politics and cultural practices of Thailand introduces the subject, followed by a systematic analysis of the Thai products. Throughout the study, comparisons are made with other Asian cultures, decorative styles and chronology, all of which add further dimensions to a hitherto relatively unexplored art form. This voluminous and painstaking research was undertaken by the authors over a period of twenty years, inspired by their personal interest in the subject. The resultant major reference work on Thai ecclesiastical ceramics has had the help of many international museum curators, archaeologists, collectors and dealers. The authors have had access to practically all known major collections around the world, many of which have not been published before. Aided by over 830 photographs, maps and specially commissioned line drawings, the subject is explicitly illustrated, compiled and discussed in great detail. By drawing these different aspects together, this major study should appeal equally to collectors, researchers and those with a wider interest in the rich religious and cultural life of the area. Book jacket.