Research & Article

During the Ayutthaya Period (A.D. 1350 - 1763), numerous earthenware and stoneware household utensils were made in and around the former Thai capital at Ayutthaya. The earthenware cooking pots, stoves and other kitchen utensils of this period reflect highly skilled potting, firing, and engraved decoration. Unfortunately, the locations of these kilns are unknown, as they were most likely destroyed when Burmese forces sacked the old city, and no one in the area has carried this craft into the twentieth century. Still, there are numerous Thai kilns in other parts of the country, including in the small village of Pakkret located only 30 kilometers downstream from Ayutthaya. This article aims to give a holistic understanding of Thai ceramics by describing the earthwares of the Ayutthaya period, as well as outlining the potting methods and wares of contemporary Thai kilns.