15th C. Thai Glazed Pottery Wine Vessel - Bird & Rider

**Originally Listed At $1200**

Southeast Asia, Thailand, Sawankhalok culture, ca. 1350 to 1450 CE. A remarkable hand-built pottery wine vessel exhibiting the form of a figure riding a bird enveloped in a lustrous celadon-hued glaze. The fascinating dish presents a globular body, a narrow, cylindrical neck, a wide flared rim, all sitting upon a discoid foot. The tapered spout of the wine vessel dually functions as the head of the bird, showing a wavy crest, ovoid eyes, and a tubular beak, as the torso of a man rises from the base, seemingly riding his feathered friend. Holding the neck of his avian companion, the handsome fellow displays a broad torso and square shoulders. His friendly visage gazes upwards, featuring slender eyes beneath a raised brow, a bulbous nose, and a gentle smile, all flanked by a pair of long ears and topped with an intricate, turban-like headdress. A thick, flat handle rises from the posterior of the ancient vessel, doubly serving as a tail for the charming creature, while the body of the vessel is decorated in feather-like reliefs forming the tail feathers and wings of the bird. The tips of each wing point upwards, slightly raised from the pot's spherical body. An indecipherable relief pottery mark can be found on the bare terracotta base of this stunning and delightful vessel. Size: 9.25" L x 4.75" W x 7.75" H (23.5 cm x 12.1 cm x 19.7 cm)

Sawankhalok pottery production achieved its peak by the mid-1300s. Potters created unglazed wares, monochrome glazed wares in white, black, brown, celadon, and olive like this example. Patterned pieces in brown with white inlaid glaze and underglaze iron decorated wares were also produced. The clay of Sawankhalok is quite fine and shows many small spots indicating high iron content - inclusions can also be red or silver hued.

A similar example of a bird-form teapot without the figure can be found at Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery under accession number 1985.075.

Provenance: ex-Ashland University Museum, Ashland, Ohio, USA, donated to Ashland University between July 1994 to December 1998

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Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#164861
Condition Report: Collection labels on base. Repair to head of figure with break lines visible. Repair and restoration to vessel neck, rim, spout, base, and end of bird's tail. Chips to tips of crest and tail. Abrasions to tips of wings and some softening of detail, commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent with gorgeous craquelure.