Ayutthaya Blue and White Porcelain Bowl

Lot 191: A blue and white porcelain covered deep bowl, with a lotus-shaped finial, painted with twisting vines scrolls

This blue and white covered bowl dates to the late Ayutthaya period (1350-1767) and is one of the Chinese export porcelains ordered by the Thai court that is painted in Thai motifs or ‘lai Thai’. The prototype would be drawn by Thai artists and sent to Chinese potters in Jingdezhen. This covered bowl has a long deep body, the cover has a slightly wider shoulder and a flat top with a lotus-shaped finial raised on one tier and two encircling bands of floral scrolls. Flat covers were the preferred shape in the Ayutthaya period and also a locally produced shape in Si Satchanalai kilns. Whereas the favored shape for later covered deep bowls was ovoid. The bowl and cover are finely painted on the exterior in tones of blue with twisting vines scrolls or ‘Lai Kan Khod’ pattern. The design was painted exclusively for the Siamese aristocrats, comprising of eight spiky flower blooms that each surround the bowl and cover, with vine foliage symmetrically twisting out from each flower. Center flowers were primarily used in Thai designs as center marks or measurements for complex symmetrical patterns that usually cover most of the background space. The vine foliage is arranged as stylized flames or ‘kanok’ patterns characteristic of the ideal Thai design. The bowl and cover are enclosed with floral bands at the rim and above the foot. The base is glazed.

Browse and bid the November 13th, 2021 auction here.