Pottery : Pottery has been in existence in Thailand since prehistoric time as artifacts like water and food containers


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Pottery

Pottery has been in existence in Thailand since prehistoric time as artifacts like water and food containers, ornament and various utensils for ceremonial use have been discovered here. At the outset, pottery making depends a great deal on the quality of the raw material which is the clay.

Clay is the principal constituent of pottery making and the kinds that are suitable for this craft are known as Ball Clay and White Clay.

1. Ball Clay : This clay and be found everywhere in Thailand, in fields, farms and near the river and its color is black. Rural people make pots from this clay for their domestic use as it does not need a very high term-perature for firing.

2. White Clay : This is a better quality clay for pottery as it contains minerals like feldspar and come rock stone like granite. There is no need to mix it with any other substance and if fired properly the end product will be white and firm.

Well-know unglazed products that are now very popular include miniature dolls and Daan Kwian earthenware.

Miniature dolls

These articles have now become popular as typically Thai souvenirs. They originated in the reignn of King Mongkut or King Rama IV as playthings for his court people but disappeared for sometime until the Majesty the Queen revived activity in 1975. Her Majesty began by arranging training for villagers at Baan Sadet Sub-District in Ang Thong Province and then had the craft demonstrated as a possible occupation at the Foundation for the Promotion of Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques or SUPPORT at Bangsai, Ayudhya Province. This craft which at the history of children' s playthings is a delicate art which requires great patience and care on the part of the potters because these dolls are very small. These minute pieces of work are usually embellished by colorful oil paints after firing. The same technique has been applied to the production of Thai fruit which can also be seen in the market.

Daan Kwian earthenware

These products stand out among other unglazed articles because of their singular colors, either black or dark brown. This is mainly to do with the kind of clay used. Originally villagers made these wares for their own use. Not many varieties produced then as potters thought of only their own needs. Later, new models were initiated by designers from Bangkok to meet the demands of the city and to help expand the market. Currently Dann Kwian products are very popular with Thais and foreigners. Daan Kwian is the name of a village in Nakhon Ratchasima Province.

With regard to glazed ware in modern times, it has undergone a lot of department since its inception, not only in methods of production but also in design. Modern oil and gas kilns are used and moulds are now generally used to produce uniform designs as well as to speed up and increase production. For those which need to portray natural beauty or have delicate ornamental work, a human touch is still required. Glazed ware found on the Thai market now comes from four sources: home industry, small, medium and large factories and comprise of six types as follows:

Pottery

* Green glazed pottery or celadons : The kinds of celadon made nowadays are the same as those in days of old, for example dishes, plates, water pots, incense stands, vases and the kind of dolls used to proptiate evil spirits.

* Benjarong or blue-and-white glazed pottery : The Thai term-benjarong-is a compound word meaning five colors so the usual number of colors employed is, as suggested in the name, five which comprises red, white, yellow, black and green. However, there are some examples in this group which only three colors and others with as many as eight.

* Laikraam or blue-and-white glazed pottery : This type of pottery has a blue and white underglaze. It is better known internationally as porcelain and due to its worth as high-quality art, it inevitably adds an impressive dignity to the user.

* Other polychrome glazed pottery : This group belongs to the stoneware type, a course, dense, heavy kind of pottery containing mush silica or sand and flint.

* Small-sized earthenware souvenirs : These comprise miniatures of real items such as utensils or playthings and are glazed in the same manner as the authentic articles.

* Decorative earthen jars : These large water containers are well-known products of Ratchaburi Province and are only produced in this province. The are decorated typically with various patterns of dragon overlay.