Page 7 - Catalogue Southeast Asian Ceramics

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Bowl, iron-oxide painted fish, undecorated cavetto
Sukhothai
15 th C
H: 8 cm, D: 25.7 cm
NUS Museum S0001-0066-001-0
“Of conical form, the flattened mouthrim and the outside
wall with circular decorative underglaze iron-black bands;
the centre medallion with a fish, mottled, and thereby
camouflaging the five spur-marks; drawn on a cream
biscuit and covered by a pitted thin transparent glaze; the
carved foot with a brownish-pink biscuit containing whitish
particles.” (Willetts 1971: pl 164)
Plate
Sukhothai, Thailand
16 th C
H: 8.5 cm, D: 30.8 cm Thailand
Private Collection opposite:
Flat lip with décor of a frieze of double brush strokes in Bowl, fish design
underglaze iron; fish motif in centre medallion with tail on Sukhothai
cavetto. (Cf. Honda & Shimazu 1997: 178 pl 226) 15 th C
H: 7.3 cm, D: 22.2 cm
Water dropper in the shape of a hunchbacked man NUS Museum S1968-0110-001-0
Si Satchanalai “Bowl with somewhat flattened mouthrim decorated
Probably late 15 th or early 16 th C with three circular iron-black decorative bands; the centre
H: 8.5 cm, W: 5.7 cm, L: 7 cm medallion, ringed by two decorative bands, containing a 113
Private Collection well-drawn fish, its mottled body helping to camouflage five
Figurine water dropper of a squatting hunchbacked man spur marks; all on a cream slip; the outside wall similarly
with a chignon, wearing a dotted sarong in underglaze slipped, and with three decorative bands, but unglazed; the
iron brown; holds in her right hand a pot that serves as a carved foot with a dark-brown biscuit containing whitish
spout. There are many examples of hunchback droppers in granules, and with a well-defined cylindrical pontil mark on
Thailand; some examples are known from north Sumatra, the base, the biscuit of a lighter hue within the mark; the
and a wide range of these figures of various qualities piece is exceptionally well potted. The cylindrical pontil mark
is reportedly found in south Sulawesi. The curator of is exceptional on a Sukhothai piece, and must indicate that
the ceramic collection of the National Museum Jakarta the bowl stood at the bottom of the stack. If the deduction
believed that they were produced in moulds (Tuti Munawar is correct then it disposes of a widely accepted view that the
et al 1985/86: 500 pl 200). The figures are sometimes pots were fired inverted.” (Willetts 1971: pl 168) Sukhothai
misinterpreted as female due to the hair pulled back and fishbowls and plates appear on the Turiang wreck, which
secured with a pin, but they are intended to represent males sank around 1370, and the Longquan wreck, dated to about
(Guérin & van Oenen 2005: 202–202). Although the use of 1400 (Brown & Sjostrand ND: 80–81). They also appear on
these objects is unknown, one theory proposes that they the Ko Khram and Rayong wrecks of c. 1380–1500 (Pisit &
represent sorcerer-magicians (ibid.: 199). Sayan 1990: 18–19, 48–49).