Research & Article

Conclusions about the dates of Sukhothai and Sawankhalok ceramics are difficult to achieve and are often only reached through an analysis of evidence that seems peripheral. None of the pieces discovered thus far have been dated, and there is an absence of historical documentation describing production or export. Rather, the dating of these ceramics depends on archeological evidence, historical records on parallel subjects and stylistic evidence. This article attempts to use a combination of all three categories, with both domestic and foreign origins, to date the height of Sukhothai and Sawankhalok ceramic production and exportation. It is argued that there is a strong case for the fifteenth century being the height of Thai ceramic export, while the hypothesis of export primarily after 1474 must be further tested, although related evidence suggests this date is plausible.