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A Book Review by Margaret Wang |
| The book was a gift to the Society from our overseas member Dick van Oenen. As our society was founded by member collectors of Southeast Asian ceramics this book will be of particular interest. Margaret Wang, past president of the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society, has agreed to review and present a summary of the types, functions and religious origin of Thai ceramic wares. Pot Clinic: members are invited to bring Southeast Asian wares to this event for discussion |
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Margaret Wang's lecture notes:
Thai Ceramic Art - The Three Religions
by Nicol Guerin, Dick van Oenen
This is a very comprehensive book and is well worth reading.
The authors spent 20 years on the subject and examined over 800 pieces, consisting of sculptures of human beings as well as of animals, and a huge quantity of vessels made for various religious rites and rituals. They examined mostly glazed stonewares produced between 1459-1650 when the kilns at Sukhothai and Sri Satchanalai flourished. (Today, we use the name Sawankhalok instead Sri Satchanalai). They did an excellent job detailing the many varieties of shapes and forms produced with a good introduction to the political, historical and cultural history of the period.
These 800 pieces were in many different collections around the world and the authors visited many private collections and museums, including those in Singapore, during their research. A useful list of these collections is included in the book. I have selected one of Earl Lu’s Kendis to show you.
After each section on a particular type of pottery, a comparison with foreign wares is made.
There are no surviving contemporary records except for a stone inscription in 1292 by king Ramkhangheng so dating of the ceramic pieces was very difficult. The authors are relaxed about this as many pieces continue to be made for a long time and they advise us to be sensible and flexible in our dating of pieces.
During these 200 years, the production of ceramics at Sukhothai and Sri Satchanalai was huge and rivaled China – in fact, Sukhothai was second only to China in the export of ceramics. I shall use Sukhothai as a shorthand to include Sri Satchanalai as it a bit of a mouthful to say the two names together!
Ceramics were produced for domestic purposes and then began to branch out to produce items for religious use. They were important because religion or religions, as was the case in Thailand and the surrounding countries, were important to the early polities.
A little history is important here as background. There was no Thailand of course in early times. It was called Siam until 1939 and since then is known as Thailand.
The Thai people are thought to have come from the Southern part of China about 800 -1,000 years ago and settled along the rivers in small states. When they moved southward they lived among people whose religion was animistic and this religion was absorbed by them. They also encountered the Mons who lived to the west in lower Burma and the Khmers to their east who had developed strong Hindui/Buddhist states. However, through wars and political conflict, the Mons and Khmers began to lose their power by the 13th century.
Just at this time, the Thais began to strengthen and developed two centres of power. These centres were in Sukhothai in the central region and Chiangmai to the north. Sukhothai was founded in 1220 and Chiangmai in 1296. Sukhothai rulers weakened in the 15th century and by 1450 the state was absorbed by another Thai polity, Ayuthaya, a state in the south.
As I mentioned before, the kilns at Sukhothai produced a huge amount of underglazed stoneware and celadons. Pottery was big business, as you can imagine, and control of Sukhothai and its trade routes meant control of much revenue. During this time there were many disputes about control of the pottery routes between Ayuthaya and Sukhothai.
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These conflicts affected production by early 16th century and also affected the quality of the ceramics produced.
The pottery produced for religious use was influenced in purpose and design by the three religions of animism, Hinduism and Buddhism, which exist in happy coexistence until today. What is interesting is that the Mons were particularly devoted followers of Theravada Buddhism, or Hinayaya B and so were the Khmers. The Thais also adopted this version and this was perhaps the reason why, when Islam came to the area, mainland SEAsia did not convert to Islam but remained Buddhist. This earlier school of Buddhism was stricter than the Mahayana school and was more disciplined.
Religion played an important part in all the states. It enhanced and supported the power of the king and his court. The remarkable thing is that none of these three religions were in conflict but instead each had its own place as well as influencing the others. Some elements were absorbed into one or another religion or each religion lived side by side with the others. Statecraft and religion were closely intertwined and the king was part Brahma and part Buddha.
Life was centered around the temples and the life of the people, births and deaths and crop cultivation were all linked to the three religions. As life evolved around the temples, folk art also became linked to elite art and architects, painters, musicians and artisans all played a lively part in the cultural life of the different polities.
Missionaries of Buddhism from Sri Lanka and Brahmin priests from India could be found in area. Basically, you could say that
Animism was for daily life, a support for ordinary people who also grafted elements of Hinduism and Buddhism on to animism.
Hinduism was for the court, for the enhancement of royal power and its relationship to the cosmos.
Buddhism was for the after life and when one is ready to retire from worldly affairs.
These religions lived harmoniously with each other because there was no insistence on there being only one exclusive god!
Symbols
1. FISH
Associated with Vishnu and origins of human race. China – fertility and wealth. Double fish – harmony and connubial bliss
STALK OR GARLAND
Associated with lotus denoting origin of life and connected with sap or elixir of life. From mouth or beak of animals and birds.
SUNBURST
Ancient primitive sun symbol. Circle surrounded with rays – 8 or 16 - common design in India and SEAsian art. In Buddhism used instead of wheel or rosette
ROSETTE
SIMILAR TO SUNBURST.
LOTUS
WATER SYMBOL RELATED TO CREATION AND FERTILITY - ancient Egyptian origin. One of the most important Buddhist symbols. Also fruitfulness.
DISC AND WHEEL - CHAKRA
Solar disc was an ancient Middle Eastern symbol and became the wheel representing the sun in Vedic texts. Aldo the eternal circle as in the wheel of life. In Budd. Symbol of the Doctrine.
SPIRAL
Ancient Tribal origin – charm against evil spirits. Immortality, curl on Vishnu’s hair
CONCH
SCYTHIAN ORIGIN – WATER SYMBOL REPRESENTING GERM OF LIFE – VISHNU Also Buddhist symbol. Also musical instrument during royal ceremonies.
SWASTIKA
ANCIENT pre-Vedic symbol – Mesopotamia, Life, sun, prosperity and good fortune.
KETUMALA
BRIGHTLY ASCENDING RAYS UPON THE UPPERMOST PART OF BUDDHA’S HEAD, GARLAND OR CROWN OF FLAMES – RADIANCE
SRIVETSA – ENDLESS KNOT (OF LIFE)
AUSPICIOUS EMBLEM ON LEFT CHEST OF VISHNU.
MONGKUT – TIERED jeweled crown – royalty in Buddhism. Future Buddha
Bo Tree leaf
Tree of life. Sacred to Vishnu. Tree under which Buddha received knowledge. Perfect knowledge.
