Prehistoric Period
Pot with Red Painted Design
Ban Chiang Culture, 300 BCE – 200 CE
The tall vessel consists of a round base, a corseted neck, and a gently flared mouth entirely decorated with red color paintings and ivory-while slip.
Pot in the Form of Ox
Pa Sak-Lop Buri Basin Culture, 500 BCE – 200 CE
A red clay pot in the form of a standing ox unearthed in Lop Buri province. A small round mouth sits atop the center-middle of its back. The body is decorated with black lines.
Bronze Vessel
Prehistoric Period, Metal Age
The bronze vessel has the distinguished shape of a vessel with a round base and is of the same size as a bell. The vessel has a notable design with a plain square on one of its sides. Although the origin and the function of the vessel remains unknown, it is presumed that it reflects characteristics of the Dong Son culture and is associated with related rituals in Southeast Asia.
Elephant Bell
Iron Age, 200 BCE - 100 CE, Found in Lop Buri.
An elephant bell with an egg-shaped head, and a wide rim. The corseted neck sits atop broad shoulders which widen down to the lower rim. Either side of the bell features partition lines where the two pieces of molds would have met during the casting process. The body is decorated with Kankhot (Vine Pattern) patterns with curved lines within a trapezium. The edge is engraved in a zigzag pattern. This hollow bell has a long horizontal crack on the upper section.
Art Objects
Lanna Art
Underglaze Black Dish
Ka Long kilns, Chiang Rai, 16th century
A deep round dish coated with clear green glaze featuring underglaze black designs on both sides. The body is slanting up to a flared rim with a smooth edge. A floral design within four concentric circles decorates the middle; along the side are three flowers positioned within circular lines. The edge of the plate is brushed with glaze. The exterior is decorated with lotus-petal designs in three sections within two parallel lines. The wide base is cut even without glaze. The dish is produced from bright white clay and features a slightly ridged bottom.
Underglaze Black Bowl
San Kamphaeng kilns, Chiang Mai 14th- 15th centuries
A deep bowl with white glaze, painted with black underglaze and featuring two black-dotted fish swimming inside two concentric circles in the center. The rim of the bowl is round and smooth, with the edge curved and slightly raised. The inner rim is in black underglaze, forming 2-3 small, dotted lines circling around the bowl. The outside of the bowl is plain and smooth and has been applied with clay slip and coated with transparent glaze. The bottom of the bowl is wide. The edge is thin and cut straight. It is made of unglazed gray clay.
Weights in the Form of Animals in Zodiac
Lanna, 19th- 20th centuries
Weights in the Form of Animals in Zodiac or “Peng” were usually found in the North of Thailand, formerly referred to as Lanna Kingdom. Apart from its convenience for measuring commodities in trading, it is also believed that carrying Peng of one’s own zodiac will bring great prosperity.
Semicircular Box for Keeping Scale and Weights
Myanmar Art, 19th- 20th centuries
The ‘semicircular box for keeping balance and weights’ is separated into two pieces. The box and the lid are made of a semicircular-shaped wooden piece. The top is carved with an image of Rahu swallowing singha with 2 hands grabbing the singha heads. Along both sides of Rahu are the bodies of the singha. The front edge is carved with lotus petals.
Embark on a journey through time as you explore a remarkable collection of artifacts from various historical periods, including Prehistoric Period pottery, Lanna Art, Sukhothai Ceramics, ceramics from Thailand’s neighboring countries, and Indian Stone Sculptures in the Gandhara Style. Each piece tells a story of culture, wisdom, beliefs, and daily life. These valuable objects invite visitors to learn about history and archaeology in a way that is both inspiring and meaningful.
Sukhothai Ceramics
Celadon Dish
Si Satchanalai kilns (Ko Noi), Sukhothai, 15th century
A large dish with a wide base with light blue-green glaze on the interior and exterior. The flared rim is decorated with lotus petals and a decorative band. Engraved lotus petals appear in the center with green crystalline glaze. The cavetto is painted with a classic scroll motif and has a small crack. The exterior is engraved with a lotus petal design and glazed to the ring of the base. The clay body is red in color. Traces of the tubular support used during the firing process are visible on the unglazed underside.
Underglaze Black Covered Boxes
Si Satchanalai kilns (Pa Yang), Sukhothai, 16th century
Covered boxes resembling the shape of a mangosteen, glazed in an ivory white color. Both the round bodies and lids are decorated in black underglaze with glass niches embedded with floral and cross-hatch patterns within circular bands. The interiors are covered with transparent glaze with black slip on the exterior. The undersides of the bodies are unglazed. The clay is ivory-white in color. The brown-glazed knobs in the center of the lid are in the form of mangosteen stems and sepals. The undersides of the lids are unglazed.
White-glazed Guardian Figurine in the Form of Yaksha
Si Satchanalai kilns (Pa Yang), Sukhothai, 16th century
The Guardian, made of white glazed clay, represents a standing. Yaksha, holding a baton, wearing a headdress and traditional lower garment. Chains are worn across the breast and armlets on the upper arms. The right foot is missing.
Underglaze Black Eave Finial in the Form of Makara
Sukhothai kilns, Sukhothai, 16th century
The Underglaze Black Eave Finial in the Form of Makara is a part of the architectural ornament for gables. The eave finial has Naga’s head with a tall crest and a long, tapering beard. The mouth is slightly ajar, revealing upper and lower teeth, with a crystal ball inside. The body of the Makara from the neck to the back is applique with a lotus-leaf pattern, and under-glaze black paint. The dorsal fin is carved in the shape of tilting leaves. The body is carved with a scale pattern. The interior is hollow. The previously-broken tips of the crest and horns have since been repaired.
Ceramics from Thailand’s Neighboring Countries
Celadon Dish
Kilns in Myanmar, 15th- 16th centuries
A round plate with a wide bottom and a flat edge glazed in creamy white. Both the interior and exterior are painted with bright green floral motifs. The bottom is decorated with a design of overlapping flower petals. Floral scroll motifs, situated between two parallel lines, form a border. The exterior is painted with long, layered lotus petals in amongst parallel lines. The unglazed base is brushed with a red-orange slip. There is a small crack along the bottom edge.
Brown-glazed Kendi
Cizao kilns, Fujian, Southern Song dynasty, 12th- 13th centuries
A kendi crafted using red clay featuring a rotund body and elongated neck piece ending in an everted rim. The broad shoulder tapers to a narrow bottom. A long conical sprout has traces of clay bead applique at its base. The body and the inside of the mouth are glazed in olive green pigment, stretching down to encompass the middle body.
Brown-glazed Jar in the Form of Elephant Figurine
Phnom Dangrek kilns, Buri Ram, 12th- 13th centuries
A round-mouthed jar in the shape of an elephant. From the top protrudes a man’s head with his hands crossed in front of him. On the back of the elephant is a howdah decorated with trappings and a triangular-shaped cloth. The engraved linear pattern on its head appears to be a head shawl, an adornment reserved for a royal elephant. The bases of the tusks and trunk are shaped in such a way so as to resemble small spouts. The elephant’s body is rotund. While traces of a translucent glaze remain, most of the glaze has since faded.
Blue and White Bowl
Kilns in Vietnam, Tran dynasty, 15th century
A deep round bowl with a slightly flared rim glazed in green-tinged creamy white pigment. The interior rim is decorated with a black under-glazed rice grain motif within two parallel lines. The bottom is painted with a floral scroll design within concentric circles. The exterior is decorated with a rough scroll design placed within two parallel lines. The bowl consists of dark, rough-grained gray clay and is glazed on both the exterior and the interior. The cut base remains unglazed.
Indian Stone Sculptures in Gandhara Style
Prince Gautama Siddhartha
Ancient Gandhara region, 2nd- 3rd centuries
A sculpture of the seated Prince Siddhartha in royal dress, representing the royal iconography of the Kushan costume. This is disputed however, with some suggesting that this may be the portrait of King Kanishka (120-144 CE) who was a great Kushan emperor and a great patron of Buddhism.
Buddha Shakayamuni in Meditation
Ancient Gandhara region,2nd - 3rd centuries
A statue of a seated Buddha in a meditative posture, flanked by Bodhisattvas, with the accompanying flames reflecting the influence of Zoroastrianism, one of the world’s oldest religions of which originated in present-day Iran (ancient Persia) approximately 1,000 - 300 BCE In Zoroastrianism, fire is a symbol of divine light, purity, wisdom and virtue.
Fasting Siddhartha
Ancient Gandhara region, 2nd- 3rd centuries
Siddhartha displayed god-like power by way of starvation and fasting exercises, power of which could not be attributed to that of an ordinary man.He continued fasting for six years until his body was left with only skin and bone. Yet he found that even after successfully treading such a difficult path, he was still not able to attain Enlightenment.
Sculptural Fragment Depicting Miracle of Sravasti
Ancient Gandhara region, 2nd- 3rd centuries
This sculpture depicts the scene of the Miracle of Sravasti, the name of an influential city during Buddha’s lifetime. The Buddha, depicted in the Dharmachakra mudra position, is sitting atop a lotus floating in the air above water while giving the first sermon. It is presumed that those sitting alongside him are Metteyya and Avalokiteshvara however this is disputed, with some suggesting that the figures are in fact Indra and Brahma.
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