Volume X, Number 1 Jun - Sep 2016 Southeast Asian Ceramics Museum Newsletter InsideContents This Issue: European Ceramics in the Thai Market Newsletter Articles: • European ceramics in the Thai European ceramics are one of the Thailand were produced by J. & W. market .......................................1 export ceramics which have been Pratt (Staffordshire, England), J. & M. • Tibetan Sanskrit Lanca characters found in Thailand as ceramic finds P. Bell (Glasgow, Scotland), Cochran – Chinese porcelain.....................4 in archaeological surveys and exca- (Glasgow, Scotland), Sarreguemines • Ko Khram shipwreck: new findings vations. They are included in the (France) and Petrus Regout or Sphinx and research...............................7 ceramic collections in the muse- (Maastricht, The Netherlands) ce- Collection Review: ums and the royal properties of the ramic manufacturing factories. Sur- • Si Satchanalai two-color glazed Chakri Dynasty as preserved in the viving ancient houses or excavation water container ..........................9 royal palace or temple museums. areas assumed to be the houses of News in Brief: rich royalties, governors and the high • Tribute to Dr. Aung Bo (1953 - According to the archaeological sur- range of government officers in Yala 2016)........................................10 vey and excavation reports, Euro- and Pattani, southern Thailand, were • Museum forum 2016 ‘Museum pean ceramics have usually been the important regional government without Walls,’ Thailand............11 found as fragments and on some centers during the Early Rattanakosin • Grand opening of Underwater are still seen the trademarks with period around the 19th to 20th cen- Archaeology Division Annex and considerable information of manu- turies, and especially Bangkok in the Dive Training Pool, Thailand......12 facturing including lot number (regis- area located near the Grand Palace • Re-excavation at Sukhothai kilns tration date), year and country, and are only one type of archaeological in Sukhothai, Thailand..............13 with even the name of the decora- context in which are usually found • Ancient camera collection of Surat tion pattern impressed or printed European ceramics from excavations Osathanugrah in the SEACM exhibition, Thailand..................14 on the bottom. This information (Fig. 1). is for the time being the best indi- cation for the age of the ceramics The other archaeological context of Editor: • Pariwat Thammapreechakorn and archaeological sites in which European ceramic finds is from the they were found. Hence, the Euro- surveys. Fortunately, in this context Editorial Staff: pean plates and stem bowls usually the ceramics are still preserved in • Atthasit Sukkham found in archaeological sites around the original position as they were • Wanaporn Khumbutshya • Utaiwan Chatuporn • Burin Singtoaj • Walter Kassela • John Toomey Reporters: • Atthasit Sukkham • Walter Kassela • Pornnatcha Sankhaprasit Fig. 1 Bell plate with blue transfer-printed ‘Burung Kupu’ pattern, 1887, excavation find from the house of Royal Consort Piam of King Mongkut near • Burin Singtoaj the Grand Palace and Tha Chang Pier, Bangkok. (Photo courtesy of the Crown Property Bureau) ..continue next page 1 European Ceramics in the Thai Market used to decorate by sticking onto Thai-style stucco on the front and rear gable of great ordination halls Letter from the Editor or on the wall around stupas in the Buddhist temples. The temples The Southeast Asian Ceramics Muse- found with ceramics in this pattern um (SEACM) Newsletter steps into the are comprised of the Khao Yi San 10th year of publication. This trimes- Temple in Samut Songkhram (Fig.2), ter, many activities and progress in the Khao Kun Panom and Phu Khao Lak museums and archaeological research Temples in Nakhon Si Thammarat, are still on the move. First of all, Atth- Nai and Phrotaram Temples in Surat asit Sukkham reports the result of the Thani, and the Temple of Dawn (Wat intensive archaeological survey of the Arun) in Bangkok, which were all 19th to 20th century European ceram- restored with the great support by ics around Thailand as they appeared the kings or royalties in the reigns of only on the coastal provinces and Bang- King Phutthaloetla Naphalai (Rama II, kok. Walter Kassela writes about the 1809-1824), King Nangklao (Rama III, Chinese Ming and Qing porcelains with 1824-1851) or King Mongkut (Rama Tibetan Sanskrit Lanca characters that IV, 1851-1868) of the Chakri Dynas- were found in shipwrecks around the ty. Based on comparison with facto- South China Sea. Pornnatcha Sankhapr- ry catalog, Société Céramique and asit updates about the latest recovery Regout/Sphinx are two brands which of Bang Pun storage jars from the Ko can be identified for European ce- Khram shipwreck which sank in the Gulf ramics decorating all the temples Fig. 2 The front gable of the great ordination hall of Khao Yi San Temple, of Thailand along with some previous mentioned above (Fig. 2). However, Samut Songkhram, restored during 1851- results. In the “Collection Review,” Bu- other ceramics with painted land- 1910: a. Regout/Sphinx plate with blue rin Singtoaj describes the Si Satchanalai scape or transfer-printed geometric transfer-printed ‘Paddyhalm’ pattern, two-color glaze water container as it design in European-style with disap- 1883; b. Société Céramique with multi- colored hand-painted ‘A38’ pattern, was produced in the late phase of ce- pearance of trademark on the bot- 19th-20th century. (Atthasit Sukkham) ramic production at the Si Satchanalai tom are still in the progress of iden- kilns with very beautiful decoration of tification. Museum in Bangkok University have floral designs. Also, the ASEAN regional all reported about their collections museum forum in the concept of “Mu- The museums including national, of the plates, bowls and stem bowls seum without Walls” was held in Bang- provincial, private and temple mu- as they were produced by Regout/ kok, Thailand on August 2-3, 2016. The seums are other places where Euro- Sphinx, Société Céramique (Maas- renovation of the Underwater Archae- pean ceramics can be found in their tricht, The Netherlands), J. & M. P. ology Division’s building and re-excava- collections. Narathiwat Provincial Bell, Boch Frères Keramis (Louviere, tion of Sukhothai kilns have been com- Museum, Princess Galayani Vadha- Belgium), Wedgwood (England) and pleted under the control by the Fine na Institution of Cultural Studies at unsure brands from Staffordshire in Arts Department of Thailand. And, the Prince of Songkhla University in Pat- England. The water strainers of At- opening reception of the special exhibi- tani, Matchimawat National Museum kins Filter Engineering & Water Soft- tion entitled “Fascination of Film Cam- in Songkhla, Folklore Museum at the ening Co., Ltd. or Lipscombe & Co. era and Photography in Memorial of Institute for Southern Thai Studies in (Fig. 3) and even the sets of sanitary Surat Osathanugrah” at SEACM, Bang- Songkhla, Phra Mahathat Temple Mu- ware including pitchers, large basins kok University was held on September seum in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phra and bowls, for instance, produced 3, 2016, and the exhibition will be open Thong Temple Museum in Phuket, in England are the other forms of to the public from now until November Chumphon National Museum and European ceramics appearing in the 19, 2016 with no admission fee. These Buppha Ram Temple Museum in Trat collections as well. According to the all are included in the “News in Brief.” and even Southeast Asian Ceramics curatorial comments, most of the 2 continue next page.. European Ceramics in the Thai Market Fig. 3 Lipscombe water strainer with Fig. 4 Johnson Brothers pitcher with transfer-printed pink floral design, 19th applied floral design and impressed century, private property of HRH Damrong Rajanuphab during his ordination trademark, 19th century, museum at Niwet Thammaprawat Temple in 1882. (Photo courtesy of the Fine Arts collection of Niwet Thammaprawat Department of Thailand) Temple, Ayutthaya. (Photo courtesy of the Fine Arts Department of Thailand) 1882 (Fig. 4), as well as the sets of were wrecked. Some ceramic manu- European ceramics were the old Cantagali (Italy, 1898), F. & C. Osler facturing factories hired a profession- family legacy of people who lived in (England), Royal Worcester (England), al shipping company for distribution the neighborhood of the museums Sèvres (France), Kaendler (Dresden, of ceramics to Southeast Asia, espe- and were donated and became part Germany, 1731), Royal Copenhagen cially the shipping company named of the museum collection. Some of (Denmark), and Wedgwood (England) ‘Limmel’ in Maastricht which export- people still keep the ceramics at which are the souvenirs from the ed the Regout/Sphinx ceramics to their homes. several occasions of general visits Southeast Asia (Dijkman and Lind, given by European monarchs and personal communication, July 24, However, Vimanmek Mansion Muse- ceramic manufacturing factory repre- 2015). On the other hand, J. & M. P. um in Dusit Palace in Bangkok and sentatives and now permanently dis- Bell Co. shipped the ceramics from Chulalongkorn Museum in Niwet played at Vimanmek Mansion Museum. Glasgow to their own trade station Thammaprawat Temple as the royal named ‘Dunnidaw’ in Rangoon (now Buddhist temple beside Bang Pa-In Fortunately, the trademarks on the Yangon), Burma by their own fleet of Palace in Ayutthaya are two muse- European ceramics found in Thai- cargo ships and then the ceramics