Mention “Sangkhalok”, and the first thing that comes to the mind of most Thais are the antique glazed ceramic ware in display cabinets in museums and rich people's homes rather than functional pottery used in daily life.
In fact Sangkhalok was meant for daily use as well as for export when it was made in great quantities during the Sukhothai Period some 750 years ago.
Sangkhalok was traditionally made in the kilns of Muang Sukhothai and Si Satchanalai districts in Sukhothai province. Imitations with the glaze and designs typical of the Sukhothai Period are still made there today.
Khiri Mat District is another popular center of Sangkhalok production in Sukhothai. Ceramics made here are unglazed and each piece of work is unique because it is hand made and inexpensive.
Villages along the Noi River in Sing Buri Province have also been making glazed ceramic ware since the Ayutthaya Period. However, the pottery made here are different from those made in other production areas, in that they have a dark brown glaze and vessels have four handles.
Celadon, a type of Sangkhalok ware, is particularly popular with foreigners. Lustrous with a hard texture, it is coated with jade-green glaze made from the ash of wood from the forests north of Chiang Mai, which is the center of celadon production.
Despite the changing environment and the increasingly hard-to-come-by raw material, celadon is still made using the same time-honored techniques as have been employed through the ages. Each piece embodies an exquisite work of art that has made it one of the most sought-after pottery style since ancient times.
With the number of kilns making a wide range of products, Sangkhalok ware once again has become more functional and affordable. Products range from tableware and gift and home decorative items to curios and even tiles. Among the major export markets are the United States, Japan and the EU countries, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong, with the rest of China becoming more and more important.
According to the Thai Department of Export Promotion, Thailand exported ceramics worth over 15 billion Baht a year. Sangkhalok ceramics can be found in shops around the towns mentioned above.
