Leathercraft

In Thailand, during the Chiangsaen-Sukhothai Period, about 1,000 years ago, leather was used to make shoes, ropes, drums and shields. Later, Ayudhya people made use of leather in the same way as their predecessors, with one addition; the making of theatrical figures for Nang Taloong and Nang Yai or the shadow plays of the south recounting the Ramayana story : cowhides are "carved" into different characters, small ones for Nang Taloong and big one for Nang Yai. As foreign trade had already begun at this time, leather was also imported but only in small amounts.

However, this increased during the Early Ratanakosin or Bangkok Period as there was more contact with other countries. Quality leather was brought to Thailand from Europe and America and became popular. Techniques in leather production were introduced and transferred to local artisans and subsequently a factory was established for production.

Now leather craft in Thailand can be divided into two groups according to the method of production as follows :

1. Carved leather articles : Important Product in this group include characters for Nang Taloong or shadow play and Nang Yai puppet show. Other products are various souvenirs like fans, lampshades etc..

Nang Taloong is typically a kind of amusement of the south of Thailand. Each Nang Taloong troupe needs about Between 100 and 300 pieces of leather characters that are chosen according to the story being played at the time. They are usually made in three different sizes : 125, 99 and 58 cm tall. Nowadays the small size is preferred, unlike the old days when the preference was for the big ones.

These characters may be placed into four groups as follows :
1.1 Pre-story characters : These are generally the same for all troupes, consisting of the god king or Siva, the announcer and the clown.
1.2 Good personae : Nud is the Thai term for these beautiful carvings of humans, be they sovereigns, princess or princesses, heroes or heroines.
1.3 Bad personae or the devils : These do not generally differ very much from one troupe to the other as far as clothing and weapons are concerned.
1.4 Minor characters : They are called Kak in Thai and although they do not have very significant roles, they consist of clowns, maids and the like, some of whom may be important as they are the troupes' s torch bearers.
At the present time, these Nang Taloong characters are produced not only for the shows but also for sale. Other leather carvings include souvenirs like fans, key rings and so on.