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Once I had a chance to exchange some ideas with some collectors and I was able to touch Wiang Ka Long earthenware. I saw ancient and strange patterns in it and I was also curious but at that time I could not ask anyone. I used to write about my journey back then in Scene4 and I talked with a collector who saw the priceless beauty of the old pottery and other materials salvaged from the sea. The Prince of Songkla University Pattani Campus has the southern gulf of Thailand as blue natural barriers. An official from the provincial office of education in Pattani province invited me to visit his house which had some of the interesting antiques and there I saw an old plate with a Ka Long pattern (Flying Crows). I also remember quite well when I was going to Narathiwat province to meet a Muslim Judge who was the chief judge of Narathiwat provincial court to see his private museum, I saw a very large sword engraved with the symbol "VK". Everyone said that it belonged to a Viking pirate who sailed to the Thai gulf. I knew that a museum in Saudi Arabia contacted the owner to buy this sword.
So, 30 years have passed and I'm still puzzled with the unique pattern of crows in Wiang Ka Long pottery. But Wiang Ka Long Kilns had something intriguing and anyone would be thrilled when they saw and studied the work more closely. As I said earlier, I was amazed when I saw this pottery collection.
The pattern of Wiang Ka Long pottery is a flock of birds flying in a circular path and the color is a combination of dark green, indigo and brown. An official from the provincial office of education who invited me to his house said that the potteries he collected were from China and he said they came from the Chinese ships that were sunk in the gulf of Thailand a long time ago. He had an entire set of pottery which had the same color. An interesting thing was the array of barnacles attached to the pottery set which he did not scrape off. I wanted to argue with him that these potteries might be from the ancient kilns in the North of Thailand which were transported to China. But I didn't.
The way to Wiang Ka Long, which is the area between Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai provinces, is about 70 kilometers. The landscape comprises high, steep mountains, twisted and narrow shoulders and many rivers. There are also plenty of hot springs and a few resorts for travelers who want to see the beautiful vistas and experience a friendly culture. Research on clay observation by some universities proved that volcanic clay in this area is the best for making earthenware. The area around the old kilns in Sankampaeng district also has many hot springs, some as high as 15 meters with temperatures as high as 105 degrees Celsius.
In Thailand there were articles and survey reports about important archaelogical issues which were published in the Journal of the Siam Society in 1937. Wiang Ka Long was an origin of knowledge in making the earthenware of Siam (Thailand). Later, more evidence about Wiang Ka Long kilns was found in 1986. The characteristics of clay looked like long needle grain Kaolin and it was strong enough for making pottery. The production evidence was scattered around hills and both sides of the creeks. From 1972 to 2008, apart from the bank of Lao River in Baan Thung Man area, Wiang Ka Long subdistrict, there was still pottery-making from the East of Wiang Ka Long to Wang Nua district in Lampang Province which was also famous for its ancient ceramics.
Around 500 years ago, Chinese artisans taught Thai people how to produce the earthenware. Because the clay was from the area that used to be a volcano, the clay quality was superb, full of minerals and suitable for making unique and beautiful porcelain in similar quality as Ming dynasty pottery from China. Beginning with sculptures from Wang Nua District in Lampang Province, plates and cups were in light cream and green colors. Although the colors are lacking and patterns are simple, materials can be made into any shape and size like tea pots, cups, bowls, dishes, vases and Kirin which is a symbol of the tea pot. Without using any color, porcelain skin would be scratched to make patterns of swans, birds and semi-circles. It also focused on tenderness and beauty. This was quite different from Wiang Ka Long earthenware which has clear design and is singular rather than following the traditional Chinese design.
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During this time more Wiang Ka Long kilns were discovered but good quality pottery disappeared. I would like to thank the voluntary groups that had projects to connect past and present. This was a resource of cultural management and provided for people to learn and protect. Voluntary archeology groups are mostly students from the department of Archaeology, Silpakorn University and villagers. They found more than 1,000 kilns in the area. The faculty of Science, Kasetsart University collected clay samples for analysis using Thermoluminescence and the result proved that Wiang Ka Long kilns created potteries from 1557 -1857.
There were several things I learned from a Salah (Thai Northern artisan) named Tun Tichitthung who devoted himself to studying the origin and style of Wiang Ka Long earthenware. He did this because Wiang Ka Long is his hometown and he was passionate in making pottery. He has his own workshop and a new factory and a collection of books and articles about Wiang Ka Long earthenware. There were interesting topics about the kind of clay for making Wiang Ka Long pottery and the voyage of Chinese artisans to find a suitable place for making porcelain.
I told him that Wiang Ka Long means the land where crows are lost and this name makes me a little scared. Once I had seen a plate around 38cm recovered from the gulf of Thailand, and the second time I found one at a South East Asia pottery museum in Europe. The pattern of many crows flying in a circle is very similar. Salah Tun told me he felt the other meaning from Wiang Ka Long was the name of flower people called "Dok Ka Long". It is a beautiful big white flower and its leaves look like heart shape and it can be found easily in this Village.
Salah Tun also added that Wiang Ka Long earthenware displayed evidence for studying forms about religious belief. You can see the pattern of favorable animals including Carp, Kirin, Bird, Pheasant and Turtle. Favorable plants are flowerssuch as Snowy Orchid tree (Bauhinia acuminata L) and favorable legends about Buddhist ideals.
The Thai government has no policy to buy precious things for the museum. It was the smugglers who sold the artifacts to collectors and knowledgeable people. This is the reason why ancient potteries were dug more than 100 years ago and this was done by outsiders.
I've written about Wat U Mong temple in Chiang Mai. The faculty of fine arts and the faculty of sciences of Chiang Mai University created a simulation image via computer graphics to study the murals for restoration. When I stand in the tunnel, I see all the murals at a glance. It is a stunning panorama and amazing to me even though I have lived in Chiang Mai for many years. When the limestone layer covered the murals on the wall surface, the murals seemed to resemble the porcelain from China's Ming dynasty period. Now the true colors, vermilion red and emerald green, are naturally brilliant. The green is quite dark and clearer than the red and blue which was found in the Peony flowers pattern of the China's porcelain in Yuan or Ming dynasty. Looking at the photos from the infrared film of a project member, I saw the picture of flocks of heron and peonies clearly.
As a collector, I want to show the elephant figures which come from the troop of King Naresuan with various styles from villager artisans.
People found only small dolls of men and animals. The collection of ancient ceramics might benefit both artisans and archeologists. You can decide for yourself if they are real or fake.
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