Ring Handled Bottle

Thailand

14th century

Sawankalok ware, Ban Ko Noi area Stoneware with carved decor under a dark brown glaze

Minneapolis Institute of Art

As the Khmer influence in Thailand waned in the 1200s, new centers of ceramic production developed under the patronage of independent Thai kingdoms. However, the rich source of clay and sought-after chocolate-bronze glaze remained the same. Some forms, as seen in this well-proportioned globular vessel from the kilns at Sawankhalok, took on a bolder, more minimalist presence. The ceramists at Sawankhalok also produced wares for export, particularly to Java and the Philippines; there, 40 percent of excavated ceramics made in c. 1400s–1600s came from Thailand. Gallery G213 Gift of Louis W. Hill, Jr.