Sangkhalok- Sukhothai Ceramic Wares, The Artistic Heritage from the Clay to Afar

SUKHOTHAI CERAMIC WARES

THE ARTISTIC HERITAGE FROM THE CLAY TO AFAR

Sirawee Iumsudjai : The author
Nichakarn Ounnunkard : The translator





Appreciation

Dr.Nalikatibhag Sangsnit, Director-General of DASTA

On 20 and 21 August 2016, Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Public Organization) or
DASTA has been created "the Community of the historical park and legendary of art, the 1st Sangkhalok day" at
Sukhothai Historical Park. Sukhothai province and Kamphaeng Phet province are cities of science and art on the origin
of Siam land. Therefore, these two provinces are the land of Phra Ruang which is full of history and cultural heritage,
and they have various artworks that have been passed down from the past to be seen. After that, we realized that these
two provinces do not have art exhibitions, public relations media for art, and sufficient art exhibitions yet to allow
tourists to gain knowledge and valuable experiences from what they have.

It is true that ancient sites and real ways of life are considered as live museums, but the transfer of knowledge
and wisdom still needs to be managed in order to achieve good communication or interpretation as well.

Therefore, DASTA has published a book "Sangkhalok Sukhothai Ceramic Wares, the Artistic Heritage From
the Clay to Afar" to collect history stories and knowledge of manufacturing process of Sangkhalok ceramic wares for
future generations to know the value of the past that has been taken care of with pride. We hope that the knowledge
which wasgained will be used to build on the future.

“Sangkhalok”, no matter what word it has its roots in. Although there is no evidence of the name appearing in
the inscriptions that have been excavated, it is not important at all because when it comes to "Sangkhalok", this word is
definitely a specific word for people born in the land of Phra Ruang. Sangkhalok is the science of using soil, water, and
fire to create works of art. The contents of this book consist of 5 methods in inheriting Sangkhalok ceramic wares,
Phra Ruang's heritage which are "To know the clay" which mean to know the types and preparation of clay, "To know
the clay and water" which is to form the wares or various shapes, "To know how to paint" which created patterns on the
surface of Sangkhalok ceramic wares, "To know how to glaze" which mean to know the raw materials of each color of
glaze, and "To know arranging and burning" which mean to know the important secret of the arranging the Sangkhalok
ceramic wares inside the several types of Sangkhalok kiln according to evolution.

Sangkhalok ceramic wares have been passed down from generation to generation which is well known for its
unique products of Sukhothai which are made by more 10 local entrepreneurs to sell as souvenirs, food containers,
home decorations, and sacred items in a similar style to the original work. However, DASTA has developed interested
entrepreneurs to be able to build on their products into souvenirs in a more contemporary look in order to develop the
customer base and meet another group of tourists. In addition, when the Community of the historical park and legendary
of art, the 1st Sangkhalok day was organized, there was participation from local people and tourists from both
Sukhothai and Kamphaeng Phet provinces to be created 989 pieces of fish scales to assemble into an art work larger
than 2.7 meters in the name of "Sangkhalok fish of Phra Ruang's Land" which was exhibited at Sangkhalok Kiln Site
Study and Conservation Center No.42 (Thuriang Kilns), Si Satchanalai Historical Park where was the manufacturing
process of Sangkhalok ceramic wares in the past.

I sincerely hope that the next visit to Sukhothai, tourists will come to appreciate the cuteness of this "Sangkhalok
fish of Phra Ruang's Land", experience the manufacturing process of Sangkhalok ceramic wares closely with the
community of manufacturers, try to touch the clay, paint the Sangkhalok ceramic ware patterns, and exclusively receive
this piece as your personal artwork. Therefore, these are creative tourism activities that DASTA have developed potential
or local entrepreneurs to serve interested tourists.

Tourism development would be one of the tools to take advantage of cultural heritage to develop value and earn
money for local people. The development is carried out for the conservation, and the conservation is for the development
as well. The current trend in tourism is a form of learning tourism that focuses on creating a tourist experience and
being able to meet the needs of tourists with what we have and what we are to preserve social values, increase the
economic value of cultural capital, and have a distribution of income within a community.

Dr. Nalikatibhag Sangsnit
Director-General of DASTA

Table of

Page

Page “Sangkhalok” Sukhothai Ceramic Wares, the
Artistic Heritage from the Clay to Afar

To know the clay :
Wisely using mountain clay,
field clay and clay from water source Page

To know the clay and water:
Page Creating stars from the clay lump

To know how to paint :
Expressing imagination to the clay Page

To know how to glaze:
Page Filtering minerals for glazing artworks

To Know arranging and burning:
Turning the clay lump into the product Page



















Sukhothai Crossdraft (Thuriang) Kiln reflect the consecutive using duration. Therefore, the academics of Sukhothai historical
park informed the unofficial conclusion of this preliminary excavation as "It probably started to manufacture Sangkhalok
ctheera1m9tihc wares around the Sukhothai Crossdraft (Thuriang) Kiln source during the era of King Loe Thai or in the middle of
century BCE when is the first period. After that, in the later time, they began to fill the area and set up a brick kiln on
the ground to manufacture a lot of Sangkhalok ceramic w22atrhes-.2It3mth acyenhtauvreyoBcCcuEr,rtehdefrpoemriothdeorfeiSgunkohfoKthinagi Maha Thammaracha
I (Li Thai) until the end of manufacturing around the kingdom was under
the power of Ayutthaya kingdom.

On the people's side, around 2521 BE, Mr. Somdet Phuangphaen, who had the opportunity to see the charm of
Sangkhalok ceramic wares and saw the ancient Sangkhalok ceramic wares out of the area since childhood. Therefore, he was
concerned about the heritage of the land and wished that the future generations had the opportunity to study Sangkhalok
ceramic wares, so he started to study the manufacturing process of Sangkhalok ceramic wares products from the basic of
clay, glaze, fire, product's style, and pattern. Until he is proficient and decided to build "Kingdom of Father, Sangkhalok
Ceramic Wares" to be a center for the study of comprehensive Sangkhalok ceramic wares to inherit and creatively develop
the manufacturing process of Sangkhalok ceramic wares again.

With the intention to announce the majesty of Sukhothai wisdom is evident in all directions, Sangkhalok ceramic wares
are a precious inheritance from our ancestors, not only in the state of things, but also in the wisdom and history hidden under
the gleaming clay and a glossy glaze of the land of Phra Ruang.

Tips

From (the old) Sawankhalok to (the new) Sawankhalok

One of the most confusing issues about Sukhothai's history is the name of the city, "Sawankhalok". This name was the name of the ancient city that was
called until around the reign of King Rama VII. Nowadays, "Sawankhalok" is one of the names of 9 districts in Sukhothai Province. However, these two names
mean different places.

The area that is Si Satchanalai Historical Park, Si Satchanalai District, Sukhothai Province at the present is the location of the ancient city since the past when
Sukhothai was the capital and has been important since that time. It has several names. Scholars assumed that the city was originally named "Chaliang" (which
the Chinese archives call Cheng-Liang), later renamed it "Si Satchanalai". When this city fell under the power of Lanna, it was renamed the city "Chiang Chuen".
Eventually, King Borommatrailokkanat was able to snatch this city back. Therefore, he changed the name of the city to "Sawankhalok" in 2017 BE and has been
called as follows.

When Sawankhalok City was abandoned for many reasons, the townspeople had to relocate along the Yom River to the south. They set up houses around
Ban Wang Mai Khon calling this new city "Sawankhalok" according to the previous place. It flourished until it became a province of Sawankhalok and was merged
to Sukhothai province. After that, it has the status of a district in later times. As for the old Sawankhalok, it was abandoned and its boundary was divided into
Si Satchanalai District and eventually established as the Si Satchanalai Historical Park.

Therefore, if you read the ancient documents before the reign of King Rama V, when the name Sawankhalok appears. Please understand that it is not the
Sawankhalok District, but it refers to the old city of Sawankhalok which is centered in the Si Satchanalai Historical Park, Si Satchanalai District, Sukhothai
Province. Thus, Sawankhalok city which was mentioned in this book means the old city of Sawankhalok.

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SANGKHALOK SUKHOTHAI CERAMIC WARES
THE ARTISTIC HERITAGE FROM THE CLAY TO AFAR

Chapter 1

To know the clay :
Wisely using mountain clay, field clay and clay from water source

As mentioned above, even though it is the same Sangkhalok ceramic wares, the quality of Sangkhalok
from Sawankhalok and Sukhothai is different. One of the key secrets that differentiate the results of products
may be at the clay texture and the clay mix technique including the skill of craftsman in the manufacturing
process of Sangkhalok ceramic wares.

Clay from Water Source
Feild Clay Mountian Clay

The wisdom that has been accumulated for a long time makes craftsmen realize that if they use clay as
the only one raw material for making Sangkhalok ceramic wares when entering the firing process, the clay will
shrink a lot causing the wares to distort and lose their shape. craftsmen had to contain the other material to mix
them as well.

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SANGKHALOK SUKHOTHAI CERAMIC WARES
THE ARTISTIC HERITAGE FROM THE CLAY TO AFAR

The first important material is Kaolin or Grog, a website of the Glossary of History of
white clay presumably from Chinese Meaning "the
high mountain" which may come from the source Art and Archaeology defines it as “It is a part that is
mixed with clay used in craftsman which made from fire
where this clay is often found, which is the high clay or broken earthenware that have been crushed and
mountain area with a lot of Feldspa. When the Feldspa mixed with other materials such as rice chaff, rice
decays, it becomes kaolin. The texture of the clay is straw, sand, etc., then molded into a ball, dried, fired to
pale to white due to the presence of silica. Sometimes high temperature, and grided it. After that, craftsmen
the kaolin is washed from the top of the soil and flows mixed it with the clay for manufacturing wares. When
along the water into the marshland. Thus, we found firing, it would reduce shrinkage, preventing the twisted
kaolin in some lowlands as well. The key properties of out of shape."
Kaolin are its fineness, toughness and white color.
When fired at the right temperature, the wares are
light-colored, strong, and beautiful. However, there is
a disadvantage that is a high shrinkage rate, so this
clay must be mixed with other types of clay to reduce
shrinkage.

Sangkhalok craftsmen know that the manufacturing
process requires raw materials which are obtained from

at least 3 sources, namely

Mountain Clay is Kaolin

Mountian Clay Clay from Water Source

Clay from Water Source refers to the muddy clay along the riverbank, or muddy clay in wetlands which

Mr. Narongchai To-in, Buddhist Votive Tablet Craftsman who is the local philosopher of Sukhothai. He indicated that
the clay source that Sukhothai people use for raw materials of making ceramic wares and ceramic Buddha amulets is
located on the northside of Mae Joan moat's area and the wetland which is located on the northwest side of Sukhothai
Crossdraft (Thuriang) Kiln. It was later called "Eel's hole" because it is a marshy area next to a large canal with water
almost all year round. Besides, there are abundant eels. These two mud clays are characterized by a black and smooth
texture. When mixed with feldspar and sand before burning, it becomes pinkish white. It has a good heat resistance
and makes the texture of the wares smooth and beautiful.

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SANGKHALOK SUKHOTHAI CERAMIC WARES
THE ARTISTIC HERITAGE FROM THE CLAY TO AFAR

When HRH Prince Narisara Nuvadtivongs visited
the northern region of Siam in the year 2444 BE, he wrote a

royal work entitled "Letter of distance to Phitsanulok".

He recounted information about the source of mud clay for
manufacturing Sangkhalok ceramic wares at Sawankhalok

City that “The clay that was used to make the bowls
was taken from Nong Phang Nga which the villagers
now call Thung Pha Nga.”

Mr. Ket Pooldee, Sangkhalok craftsman, who is the local philosopher of Si Satchanalai city stated that the

reason why the Sangkhalok ceramic wares from this city is famous all over the world is because there are good raw
materials. Especially the clay from the Si Lan mountain which is not far from Kaeng Luang in front of Si Satchanalai
city. There is a clay resource with iron ore and feldspar that are suitable for manufacturing wares having pinkish white
color which gives the product a smooth texture, being able to burn at high temperatures to have a dense texture
(Stone Ware). However, it must be mixed with the right amount of clay , so it can be molded easily. In addition,
Si Satchanalai craftsman used clay from the banks of the Yom River which is not far from the kiln used as a raw
material as well.

Feild Clay is the muddy soil in the fields which had to be Feild Clay
dug about three meters deep. It has a yellowish purple or yellowish
gray color. When sand and sediment are filtered out, it can be
molded well.

These three types of clay, when mixed in proper proportions,
were washed, filtered and composted for about 3 days. After that,
slowly scoop up the smooth clay to make it dry, add water, knead
until the mixture is well blended, and try to expel air from the clay
as much as possible in order to get the perfect Sangkhalok ceramic
wares.

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SANGKHALOK SUKHOTHAI CERAMIC WARES
THE ARTISTIC HERITAGE FROM THE CLAY TO AFAR

Therefore, one of the important wisdoms of One of the special qualifications of glazed
Sangkhalok ceramic wares manufacturing is the Sangkhalok ceramic wares are cracks or crazes which
wisdom of clay from understanding clay types, selecting makes this kind of ware stand out. As HRH Prince Damrong
sources, mixing and filtering processes. Each type of Rajanupab described the structure of Sangkhalok
wares use different raw materials. The accumulated
wisdom will teach craftsmen how to choose soil and ceramic wares in the royal work "The legend of the
clay that matches the style and usability of each type of tableware and earthenware" as

wares. For example, using yellow soil color or soil "Chinese called Sangkhalok ceramic ware that
under skeletal soil. There is yellow to dark brown
"Lok Hun Phuen". The clay texture is usually coarse.
and black because there is a lot of iron ore. The texture
is tough and can be molded easily with a high heat The process to make Sangkhalok ceramic wares
resistance. craftsmen used them as raw materials for depends on the glaze. When applying the glaze, the
Mon wares, Chaliang wares, and unglazed wares craftsman would take it to the kiln after that. Once the
which required strength and durability, and they may glaze hardens, they would take it out of the kiln quickly.
be mixed with feldspar or soil from other sources to be They would not slowly wait for it to cool in the kiln like
able to mold easily and have a better stability. a normal glaze. The glaze is in a very hot place to be
cooled quickly; therefore, it is cracked into Sangkhalok
ceramic wares patterns. When it cools, they take a
polish to insert it into the trace to make another layer of
color along the cracked line.”

Skeletal Soil

From the study of modern wares experts, it was revealed that the cracks or crazes were caused by the
shrinkage of the clay texture and the glaze resulting in this beautiful pattern on the surface of Sangkhalok ceramic

wares. In addition, the quality of clay from different sources also affects different cracks.

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THE ARTISTIC HERITAGE FROM THE CLAY TO AFAR

Chapter 2

To know the clay and water :
Creating stars from the clay lump

Sarit Sasum has divided the traditional manufacturing process techniques in
“ An Analysis of evidence anddetermining the age of archaeological data.” as 5 methods as follows:

1. Hand Forming Throwing Method

Starting to form from the mouth of the wares first. Then,
you bend the clay to cover the bottom of the container by
using a tool consisting of wooden planks and clay anvil
for hitting and slapping the clay to get the desired shape.

2. Coil method

Rolling the clay to make a long line by hand. Then,
craftsmen curl it into the desired shape of wares from
the bottom to the mouth of them. Then, they use wooden
planks and clay anvils to pound the clay line together to
make them blend well.

3. Throwing method

4. Slab method

Bringing the clay to spread into sheets until it forms
wares. Then, craftsmen would solder the clay to be
completely connected.

5. Molding method

Molding Method

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SANGKHALOK SUKHOTHAI CERAMIC WARES
THE ARTISTIC HERITAGE FROM THE CLAY TO AFAR

Sangkhalok craftsman creates their work by When the manufacturing process of Sangkhalok
choosing a method that is suitable for each workpieces ceramic wares enters the era of production for sale, the
relying on the significant wisdom to be consistent and speed of production and the stability of size and form
durable the raw material together by using water from of wares are important. Thus, it could be assumed that
condensed clay or slip as a binder which is obtained by mold was likely to occur for this reason. In Particular,
mixing clay with water and stirring until it dissolves. it can create sculpture products, roof tiles, architectural
Then filter with a fine sieve and wait for precipitation. components, etc. The most interesting example is on
After that, craftsmen separate the thickened sludge as display at the Kamphaeng Phet National Museum,
a binder to make the workpiece more durable and Kamphaeng Phet Province. It is a gigantic statue with
beautiful. Consequently, the manufacturing of these only a broken head made of stucco which has a face
wares are diverse and efficient in use. For example, made of baked clay, presumably obtained by using a
using a joint sealer between the spout with the body of mold. And then, it was burned and attached to the
the wares which is Kendi (meaning a pot with ears), a stucco part. The production of molds like this saves
ewer/vessel (a long-necked pot) is used to attach the time and allows the workpiece to come out with the
pattern to the wares, or sometimes used as a foundation same or similar shape and size. However, no evidence
for wares before writing patterns, etc. of these molds has yet been discovered.

Even though still unable to find any definite Sangkhalok products found include various
evidence of the existence of facilitating tools for manu- wares such as dishes, bowls, stemmed bowl, covered
facturing Sangkhalok ceramic wares such as a box, small boxes, earthen jar, chamber pot, bottle, jar,
spinning wheel, it can be deduced from the perfect storage jars and architectural ornaments, such as roof
shape of Sangkhalok ceramic wares which were found. tiles, floor tiles, gable end, tile batten, Baralee, balustrades, and
This ensures that this spinning wheel should have Makara sculptures for decorations and stair railings, etc.
been invented at the time; moreover, it may be made of
wood, so there are no traces left until today. In However, free forming method by hand is still
addition, they found a tool for folding the shape of the used in small sculptures of Sangkhalok ceramic wares
clay pot to have a perfect shape which was called "clay which is still debatable as to what it was built for. Small
anvil" in the archaeological excavation site in both Sangkhalok ceramic wares that were discovered
prehistoric and historical periods in Sukhothai popularly known as "Sangkhalok figurine". It is mostly
Province. It ensures that the wisdom of using tools for found near ancient sites, and some of them may have
forming wares existed long before the creation of been damaged during the firing process which was
Sangkhalok ceramic wares in this area. Most likely, this abandoned near the Ban Pa Yang kiln group that has
wisdom will continue to be passed down until the era of been called "Tukta (figurine) kiln".
Sangkhalok ceramic wares industry of Sukhothai Kingdom
is prosperous.

Clay Anvil 15

SANGKHALOK SUKHOTHAI CERAMIC WARES
THE ARTISTIC HERITAGE FROM THE CLAY TO AFAR

Pol.Lt.Gen. Sarit Suebpongsiri studied the structures of Sangkhalok ceramic wares and summarized
them in “A comparative study of clay figurine in the Sukhothai and Ayutthaya periods” as "Most of them use
hand molding and then burnt them into stoneware which is followed by semi-glazed porcelain stone applying
to glaze only the upper part several method which are glazing in single color type, e.g., green glaze, white
glaze, and brown glaze, black underglaze decoration painting type, and two-color glazing type which used
decorative techniques including scratching, etching, grooving, gluing and black underglaze decoration painting.

As for the manufacturing of clay figurines in the Sukhothai period, most of them were probably
manufactured during the Late Sukhothai Wares, around the 21st century BCE- the beginning of the 22nd
century BCE.”

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SANGKHALOK SUKHOTHAI CERAMIC WARES
THE ARTISTIC HERITAGE FROM THE CLAY TO AFAR

These Sangkhalok ceramic ware
sculptures include images of gods such
as the Buddha Maitreya, the God-King
of Chinese Medicine. They also have
figurines of people and lifestyles such
as a mother holding a child, family, a
humpback, a woman, a person holding
a chicken, and wrestling; moreover,
animal figurines were found as well, i.e.
turtles, frogs, elephants, horses, and
cows. Thus, they have fruit-shaped small
boxes such as mangosteen, persimmon,
asterisk, and orange as well. Moreover,
there were storytelling sculptures of war
elephants with soldiers stationed at four
feet of elephans, Garuda catching naga,
as well as utensils or playing tools such
as chess pieces, etc.

Sangkhalok figurine of people image which most discovered appears that the head is often broken off the
body causing people to assume that these figurines may be used in rituals which is a ceremony to ward off bad
luck by molding a figurine like a person who is unfortunate and putting it into a krathong (floating banana leaf)
with offerings. After that, they bring it to the T-intersection, float on water, or leave it in the temple. Then, they
broke the head of the figurine to deceive the demon that this person was already dead, so that it would not bother
them again.

However, several scholars and local philosophers deny this opinion as
rituals nowadays have not broken the figurine's neck. It also made no sense
when the ceremonial figurine had to be destroyed like this even though it
was made from good quality Sangkhalok ceramic wares. This means that it
is a product that has a reasonable production cost, yet it is not stated in the
rituals rules that a good quality figurine is required to perform the ceremony.

This opinion is in line with the results of studies from many scholars
which proposes a new hypothesis that these Sangkhalok figurines might be
created for other activities, such as toys or decorations, but when the
figurine was broke by an accident, an owner may leave them at the T-intersection
or temple due to the belief of not keeping broken things in the shelter. That's
why we found these shelters in those areas. However, the complete
Sangkhalok figurine with a head that is not broken from the body has also
been found, but there are few.

Although still controversial about its usefulness, Sangkhalok
figurines are of great importance in the study of history and archeology.
Since the appearance of the figurine can convey a reflection of life, society
and fertility of Sukhothai Kingdom is another way as well.

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SANGKHALOK SUKHOTHAI CERAMIC WARES
THE ARTISTIC HERITAGE FROM THE CLAY TO AFAR

Chapter 3

To know how to paint :
Expressing imagination to the clay

Due to the long history behind the Sangkhalok ceramic wares, the pattern contributes to the wares to
get attention and to be known.

Sangkhalok pattern painting requires skilled craftmans and have a truly “artistic mood” because they
often use the Freedom in Brushworks painting technique which is to paint free patterns including flora, animal,
human, and way of life stories which are found in some but not many. All these patterns are vibrant and beautiful.
However, several times can also indicate the social conditions in the past including the condition of the relationship
between this land and other territories such as Lanna and China. Thus, Sangkhalok pattern helps to fill in the
missing parts of history to be more complete.

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SANGKHALOK SUKHOTHAI CERAMIC WARES
THE ARTISTIC HERITAGE FROM THE CLAY TO AFAR

For Sangkhalok painting, craftmans will paint on
the biscuit firing, which refers to the wares that have been

burned once with low heat in a kiln called “Takrab kiln”.

Then, craftmans paint with colors using the minerals that
are around, such as black from red clay or laterite. They
make the foundation with slip first for beauty. They sometimes
put a lot of slip to cover the coarse and porous texture of
the clay. Then, it was impregnated with glaze before firing
again at a higher temperature.

In addition to creating patterns with painting methods, Sangkhalok craftmans also create beautiful
patterns in a variety of ways as follows:

Engraving
It is a method of creating decorative patterns on wares before the
Sukhothai Kingdom was the royal capital by using hard materials with
sharp ends engraving into streaks on the surface of wares.

Excising

Even the patterns formed by engraving and excising are not so
easy to distinguish with bare eyes, the methods of creating these two
patterns are different. However, excising is the use of a rounded tool to
excise the clay from the surface of wares. When looking through a
telescope to see the pattern tomography, it will be found that the rift of
the pattern resulting from the excising is U-shaped. While scratch marks
are created by using a sharp ends tool, the rift of the pattern is V-shaped.

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SANGKHALOK SUKHOTHAI CERAMIC WARES
THE ARTISTIC HERITAGE FROM THE CLAY TO AFAR

Stamping

is a method of creating decorative patterns on wares before the
Sukhothai Kingdom was the royal capital which may be counted
back to prehistoric times. It have been excavated the stamp stand
for stamping patterns on wares on several archaeological sites.
In addition, they found Sangkhalok ceramic wares made from
stamping including polka dots, cord marked decoration, wave
patterns, etc.

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SANGKHALOK SUKHOTHAI CERAMIC WARES
THE ARTISTIC HERITAGE FROM THE CLAY TO AFAR

The patterns of Sangkhalok ceramic
wares are not only unique but also
reflect the living conditions as well as
the beliefs and environment of the
Sukhothai Kingdom in an interesting way.
For example, pictures of aquatic animals
which Dr. Pariwat Thammapreechakorn
who is the Head of Department of
Research and the Promoting of Education
of Southeast Asian Ceramics Museum
from Bangkok University conveyed in
"A Study of the Inspiration for creating
Sukhothai ceramics" which has various
species including black shark, Siamese
mud carp, clown featherback, java barb,
hemibagrus wyckioides, iridescent shark,
black ear catfish, giant snakehead, and
big-headed turtle which was painted on
the wares along with the flora pattern
which may have evolved from aquatic
plants such as algae reflecting the
abundance of water resources which
could be an interesting resources for the
study of the ecology of the water source
at that time.

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THE ARTISTIC HERITAGE FROM THE CLAY TO AFAR

Chapter 4

To know how to glaze :
Filtering Minerals for Glazing Artworks

Although Sangkhalok has both types of
glazed and unglazed, must be admitted that
Sangkhalok ceramic wares in glaze which is
color glaze and transparent glaze which often
painted the pattern on them as well is a exquisite
product group that has been widely accepted
since ancient times. These glazes are probably
made by the wisdom and trial and error learning
of potters as well as the transfer of knowledge
from cultural sources that have already prospered.

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SANGKHALOK SUKHOTHAI CERAMIC WARES
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Glazing is the process of coating a ceramic ware
body consisting of Silica which can be obtained naturally
from white clay or feldspar mixing with natural minerals.
The wares that are glazed must be fired with a low heat
around 900°C to keep it stable first. After glazing, it was
burned again at high temperature. This process would make
the Transparent Glaze. However, if craftsmen would like to
have Opaque Glaze, they would add an oxide from some
minerals which turns this glaze in the different color.
The accumulated wisdom made Sukhothai craftsmen know that if some types of wood were burned to
ashes and mixed with water and red clay material, they would result in the colorful glaze. However, the ashes
from different plants will manufacture different results of glazes. For instance, ashes of the chrysanthemum
wood gives a green color, ashes of the tamarind wood give a white color, and red clay give brown or black
color. The shade of the glaze depends on the ratio of ingredients refined by the wisdom of each craftsman and
the proper temperature when firing as well.

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SANGKHALOK SUKHOTHAI CERAMIC WARES
THE ARTISTIC HERITAGE FROM THE CLAY TO AFAR

The pattern decorations of Sangkhalok
ceramic wares are painted underglaze, excising,
engraving, and incised underglaze. When
coated with the glaze, it will flow into these rifts
more than other places. After burning, there is
a beautiful dark color rift, or they sometimes
use deep relief carving patterns, and painting
or glazing the main color and the pattern in a
different color would create the beautiful products.

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SANGKHALOK SUKHOTHAI CERAMIC WARES
THE ARTISTIC HERITAGE FROM THE CLAY TO AFAR

Tips

Celadon

Dr. Kachin Saiinthawong, an expert in Thai ceramics, gave the meaning of the word “Celadon” which
has a Thai name "Sila Dol" as celadon refers to ceramic products which have jade green color and
Kiew Kai Ka as known as the crow egg color. It derived from the word "sila" and "dol" is a Sanskrit word
meaning glazing on stone or stone glazing. However, the general term used to refer to this product is
"Celadon" which has many sources. It may refer to products covered with jade. In French, it refers to
the green glaze of Eastern earthenware which glaze in stoneware and porcelain. In the west, they
believed that this word comes from the name of a shepherd, Celadon wearing a turquoise robe in a play
that was very popular in the 17th century which is Les Amour d’Atree which is the same time that the
beautiful and valuable green glazed Chinaware is becoming very popular in Europe.”

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SANGKHALOK SUKHOTHAI CERAMIC WARES
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Chapter 5

To know arranging and burning :
Turning the clay lump into the product

One of the significant keys of the ware manufacturing process is the wisdom of building and
using a kiln. It is generally known that the kiln used to burn Sangkhalok ceramic

wares is called “Thuriang Kiln” (Crossdraft Kiln), and no one has been able to determine

exactly what this word means and where it came from. When both of the His Royal Highness Crown
Prince Maha Vajiravudh (His Majesty King Vajiravudh) and His Royal Highness Prince Narisara

Nuvadtivongs have visitted the ancient city of Sukhothai and Sawankhalok, a local philosopher told
that this word is the name of Chinese person, so they did not believe him. His Royal Highness Crown

"…I haPrvinece nMaehva eVarjirhaveudahrwdrotoe ifn aaroCyahl winorketsraevelnlinagmto Pehdra RTuhanug criityaansg before".

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Actually, it's not only the Thuriang kiln.
There are two types of kilns used to burn Sangkhalok ceramic wares:

Updraft kiln is a vertical heating kiln made Crossdraft Kiln or Thuring Kiln is a

of clay or brick. The bottom is used as a container horizontal heating kiln. Firstly, they used a method
for fuel which is charcoal or firewood, and at above, of digging into the mound as a tunnel. There is a
it has a honeycomb-like perforated clay known as converging curved wall about 3-4 meters wide and
“Ta Krab”. The area above the Ta Krab is used to 3-4 meters long. However, there was a problem with
arrange wares that want to burn. When wares are strength, so the problem was solved by applying
arranged, it must be piled with scraps or tiles to clay to the walls to strengthen the stability. Unfortunately,
retain heat. The heat from the bottom will pass there was a new problem. Due to the weight of the
through the Ta Krab hole up to the top, the average clay, it made the wall easily collapse. In addition, the
temperature was about 900°C. This type of kiln is maintenance of this kiln is difficult because it is
used to burn earthenware and the finished raw clay underground.
vessels to be stable called Biscuit Firing. After that,
craftsmen painted patterns or glazed it and then
burntthem again in the Thuriang kiln.

Thus, Sangkhalok craftsmen turned to build a kiln on the ground by starting from using bamboo weave
as the kiln frame and using clay covering. Once the clay was burnt, it becomes a strong kiln and can better
control the humidity around the kiln. Later, the material was replaced with bricks for strength, and It is convenient
to repair and easy to control the humidity around the furnace.

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SANGKHALOK SUKHOTHAI CERAMIC WARES
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The Thuriang Kiln consists of 3 parts: the front part is
used as a place to collect fuel, the middle part has the most
space which is used to arrange wares by filling the sand on the
ground, bury “Kee Tor” as a supporting base which has a tube
shaped and arranging wares on top of the Kee which has a
round shaped, and the last part is a smoke chimney which
burned with high heat about 1,150 - 1250°C with bamboo
firewood which has a distinctive feature that is high heat, strong
fire, able to set the fire to a high and stable temperature. Most
importantly, it is a tree that is easy to plant, grows quickly, and
easy to find, taking the expertise in observing the color of the
flame to determine the proper burning time and temperature.

Due to the quality of the kiln, the amount of production at
a time is also important in order to obtain a product that is
sufficient and worth the investment. The process of arranging
wares in the kiln is absolutely important. In the first period,
at Ban Koh Noi kiln group found the deep bottom plate is color
glazed except at the mouth of the plate, and it was revealed that
the glaze was squeegee off to place the two plates face-up-upside
down. This is to prevent the greasy glazing from sticking together causing damage. There is an empty space
inside the kiln, and craftsman put Kee which has a round shaped (Ngomb Nam Oi), jar, and bottle into the kiln.
This method saves space in arranging wares resulting in a large amount of product in each firing. Subsequently,
it changed from the method of placing the plates together to the stacking of plates separated by Kee Ngonb Nam
Oi which has a bowl, jar, and bottle on it. Besides, these wares are lined up on Kee Tor which was buried at the
bottom of the kiln. Only Koh Noi Kiln found that they placed a ware on Kee Tor. It could be understood that for the
product beauty since placing Kee Ngonb Nam Oi between wares sometimes causes a dimple on the bottom of the
container, especially Sangkhalok ceramic wares from the Sukhothai kiln. It was found that there are so many
marks from Kee that it is considered a symbol of Sukhothai society. However, this mark is not always certain
because sometimes a trace of Kee is found in Sangkhalok ceramic wares from Sangkhalok city as well.

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Tips

Kee

Royal Institute Dictionary, 2554 BE provides the meaning
of the word "Kee" as the pedestal for placing items or
sitting which is made of various objects with different
shapes, such as vase holder and plant pot holder".
Among the people who study Sangkhalok ceramic
wares, Kee refers to the earthenware container used to
support the bottom of the product in the kiln. There are
2 forms:

1. Kee Nguang Chang or Kee Tor is a long tube
used for burying it in the sand at the bottom of the
Thuriang Kiln and placing wares to be burned at the
other end to prevent wares from getting sand grains.

2. Kee Ngomb Nam Oi or Kee Chan is a flat plate
that has both round and square shapes used for separating
wares each by each to prevent greasy glazing from
sticking together. Kee Ngomb Nam Oi has 5-6 buttons
on the bottom. When craftmans use it, it causes the
burnt Sangkhalok ceramic wares to have a button mark
on the bottom as well which is always found in the
Sukhothaikiln group. Some Kee Ngomb Nam Oi pieces
were engraved on them, and scholars are still trying to
figure out what these images are for.

The word kee is assumed to come from the
Chinese language and began to be used to refer to
containers for these products in later times because of
royal work " The Letter of the distance to Phitsanulok"
in 2444 BE, HRH Prince Narisara Nuvadtivongs called
all of these wares as "Dak".

The Story from the Sangkhalok Kiln
The text from Sukhothai Inscription No. 2 at Wat Si Chum in the ancient city of Sukhothai conveyed the

story of an important Thera Buddha who is "Maha Thera Srisaddha" which is revered by the faith of many people
about the miracle of the Buddha's relics revealed, is inscribed in comparison with the light of the burning of
pottery as "as green as the burning ware blaze". It demonstrates that people at that time were interested in the
flame in the kiln as well. Moreover, It can guarantee the kiln's ability to predict the temperature threshold through
observing the color of the flame as well.

In addition, it can be noted that in the early Sukhothai Inscription, the word "Sangkhalok" was not used to
refer to the wares that were produced which corresponds to the hypothesis that this name started to be called after
renaming the main production center as "Sawankhalok" in 2017 BE.

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Epilogue

According to the study of "the Usage of Sukhothai ceramic wares from archaeological evidence"
from Dr. Thanyakarn Wong-on, the director of Thanombutra Ancient Ceramic Museum was summarized

the objectives of using Sangkhalok Sukhothai ceramic wares in ancient times into 7 kinds:

1. Funerary urns
There were found funerary urns which were buried in religious

places in Sukhothai Civilization, such as Bang Klang City. The first phase
is contained in a jar before changing to a covered box or bottles after that.
The pattern and beauty of these funerary urns depended on the social
class which have three types, such as unglazed, glazed, and underglaze.
In addition, there were also found Sangkhalok ceramic wares which were
used in funeral ceremonies at Calatagan in the Philippines.

2. Using as the leaf tea storage containers for tea ceremony
It was indicated that Sangkhalok ceramic wares are very popular

in Japan as they believed that these wares can preserve the quality
and aroma of tea leaves. As Professor Sukij Nimmanhaemin, the
former member of the Royal Institute said in the book "Phan Phiphop
Lila and others" as “…in the tea ceremony which Japan considered
as one of the principles of Japanese culture. Japanese people have
told me that a teakettle or teapot to be used in the ceremony, If
anyone has a teakettle or teapot which glazed in a drab color of the
Sukhothai period of Thailand, the house's owner would be so proud that
he had such a priceless utensil to be used in this honorable ceremony.”

3. Using as the dedication in religion
Evidence from several stone inscriptions mentioned that the

dedication of utensils wich made from ceramic wares in Buddhism, such as
the stone inscription of Wat Chang Lom (BE 1927) which demonstrated the
ordination of Phanom Sai Dam and the giving of Phraya Si Thepha Hurat
which stated offering "the jar with flowers" in Buddhism as well.

4. Using as the wares for storing utensils in pagoda or repository
The evidence was found inside various repositories of pagodas. In

addition to storing the relics, they also stored valuable things, Buddhism
votive tablets, and Buddha images as Buddhist offerings. These belongings
were often encased in Sangkhalok ceramic wares for durability by using
Sangkhalok and wares from other places, such as Chinese wares to
cover the mouth of wares.

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5. Using as a dedication to offer to sacred items
From the survey of ancient monuments outside the defensive wall near the chapel of Wat Chedi Chet

Thaew at Si Satchanalai Historical Park in Sukhothai province by Mr. Prachot Sangkhanukij stated that there
were found jars which stored the figurines which have the shapes as elephant, horse, and other animals.
However, Buddhist sculptures were not found in that area. Moreover, it is possible that these animal figurines
were made to offer sacred items according to the beliefs of the people of the time.

6. Sculpture for using as a religious image, a belief and to
protect religious sites

Although the statues of the guardians of religious sites have
been found from archaeological excavations, there are not many
statues over there, but they were found more than other religious
images such as Buddha images and graven Images which have been
discovered but very few and often have an imperfect shape.

7. Buddhism votive tablet
It could be said that Buddhism votive tablets are the most abundant

type of earthenware antiques found in the ancient city of Sukhothai,
Si Satchanalai and Kamphaeng Phet. These amulets were made in a large
number of about tens of thousands pieces to be placed in a repository
to preserve the age of Buddhism and enhance the glory of the creator.
No one knows exactly where these Buddhism votive tablets were made,
and is there an industrial production ? However, It is certainly able to
reflect the ideas, beliefs of people, and the technology to manufacture a lot of
wares as well.

The points which were summarized by Dr. Thanyakarn Wong-on are very interesting and can give the answer
to people about the purpose of manufacturing Sangkhalok ceramic wares which were excavated in large numbers.
Sangkhalok ceramic wares are popular because of a variety of patterns and manufacturing processes. People in
different social class would select the best match for themselves in terms of economic status, affordability, and
usability. Architectural ornaments are another advantage of Sangkhalok ceramic wares which are widely used until
they have a kiln group for manufacturing these Sangkhalok ceramic wares only. Archaeologists have found various
kinds of these antiquities, especially in the vicinity of ancient building ruins, such as Baralee, roof tiles, tile batten,
floor tiles, parapets, Makara sculptures for decorating roofs and railings, etc.

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However, Sangkhalok ceramic wares were manufactured for commercial purposes. Sangkhalok ceramic
wares have an important part in Economy becoming the motivation of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya kingdoms to
develop and improve their empires. This is the reason why Sukhothai and Sawankhalok became important cities
as mentioned above.

Most of all, Sangkhalok ceramic wares are a witness of the wisdom and craftsmanship of the Sukhothai
people which reflected the close relationship between people, nature and the fertility of the residential area.
Behind the beauty of the strength of the clay and the fineness of fine arts is hidden valor of the wisdom and
ingenuity of people. However, these precious wisdoms are passed down through the generations to be inherited
which are not limited in the form of objects but are deepened to the level of intellect.

Sangkhalok ceramic wares have been developed to be revived again by the dedication and sacrifice of the
local people. They have designed and developed a variety of products to meet the needs of today's people. Moreover,
they go along with the knowledge development to build on products based on wisdom and traditional style.
These products rely on the support of various agencies that bring academics from many institutions to develop
the manufacturing process of Sangkhalok ceramic wares regularly.

These consciousnesses are not only a renewal of Sangkhalok ceramic wares which are "Phra Ruang's
Heritage" which is the traditional heritage from ancestors. As they are the important key to create pride in the
community, drive the local economy, and identify the identities of locals for becoming famous as before.

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However, the uniqueness of the product
and the outstanding wisdom in the manufacturing
process of Sangkhalok ceramic wares can
eventually be built on to new products that are
not limited to the original pattern. It demonstrates
craftsmanship of the people of Phra Ruang land
and the depth of cultural heritage that is absorbed
in the whole consciousness. Sangkhalok ceramic
ware patterns not only appear on the pottery, but
they also convey another product which adds
aesthetics and value. For instance, the textile
design that takes inspiration from the Sangkhalok
ceramic ware patterns in the project of making
patterned fabrics as Sukhothayapas fabrics
collection 2. This fabric makes people realize
that the value of Sangkhalok ceramic wares are far
beyond the scope of earthenwares. Besides, it can be
closely linked with other fields of wisdom which is
Phra Ruang's heritage that should be inherited.
Therefore, it is considered as an inheritance of
Phra Ruang that should be continued and have
value to be proud of.

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Sirawee Iumsudjai : The author
Nichakarn Ounnunkard : The translator

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