Accession Nr.: 4885
Type: sculpture; fragment; pottery
Date of production:
14 – mid-16th century
Place of production:
Materials/Techniques: ceramics, glazed
Dimensions: height: 17 cm
This figure, made of red earthenware pottery and covered in a greyish-white glaze, is called a teppanom. Teppanoms are female, angel-like creatures of Thai mythology, most often depicted in a kneeling position with folded hands (Skt. namaskara mudra).
In the former town of Sawankhalok in Northern and central Thailand, the pottery industry developed enormously from the 14th to the mid-16th century. This was in part due to the sudden ban on the export of Chinese ceramics in 1371, during Ming dynasty rule. It was at this time that Vietnamese and Thai ceramics took the place of Chinese ceramics in Southeast Asian markets.