Buy Thai Ceramics
Are you interested in Thai ceramics, Earthenware and Porcelain? Maybe you are looking to buy Thai ceramics online. You might be a homeowner looking for accents for your garden or a landscape designer searching for the right garden ornaments, sculptures and statues. Maybe you are an architect looking for interesting design elements for your project. However you came here, if you are interested in the fascinating world of Thai ceramics, you have come to the right place.
Please browse the listings on my site and do not hesitate to contact me about any of the items listed. I could very possibly help you source any number of other items of earthenware, ceramics or porcelain from Thailand, that are not listed.
Personal Shopper for Thai ceramics
I think of myself as your personal shopper in Thailand. I also have a great deal of experience shipping items of all sizes from Thailand. Previous business ventures have equipped me with all the tools necessary to navigate the oceans of bureaucracy involved with international distribution.
As you will see below, I built and furnished my own palatial home. I am, therefore, very experienced in handling large projects. I love to work with architects and designers to achieve awe inspiring results. If you would like to run some ideas past me maybe I might help introduce you to new horizons and possibilities.
About Howie and Howie’s Homestay
When I first came to Thailand over 25 years ago, I fell in love with the place. I enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, friendly locals, and conducive climate. Having met and married my Thai wife, I set about creating a home for us to enjoy. I decided to build using traditional designs and local craftsmen. In fact I had over 200 craftsmen working on site at some times during the project. After 8 years or so I completed Howie’s Homestay. It is a handcrafted work of art made up of seven private and unique golden teak pavilions.
Having completed the buildings, and indeed during construction, I discovered Thai pottery, earthenware and ceramics. It is at the very heart of Thai culture. From the materials used to decorate the temples and palaces to the giant sculptures that ward off evil spirits and guard the sacred places.
Then there were the smaller ornaments, vases, pots and jars. In short I became fascinated by the variety of the art of pottery and ceramics in Thailand. And I also marveled at the way the craftsmen and women are respected for their contributions to Thailand’s most extraordinary buildings.
In the course of my project I ended up traveling the length and breadth of the Kingdom. I always wanted to hand pick every single item that now decorates my home. And I wanted to buy at source, directly from the craftsmen and women that created the art.
Time to share my passion with others
Now I am ready to help other people around the world get the same pleasure that I do from Thai ceramics. So, I built this website as a showcase of just some of the items I have discovered. Believe me the catalog could be ten times larger. However, I hope that it is enough to inspire you to consider adding these, and similar objets, to your homes and gardens.
You will simply will not find many of these items available on the web. Certainly, your local home decor and garden centers are unlikely to supply genuine Thai pottery, earthenware, and ceramics. Indeed, from my own experience it is not easy to find them even with expert local knowledge. Many of these craftsmen only work on the grand buildings of Thailand. Owning any of the items I display will certainly give you, your family, and your visitors unique items to wonder at and enjoy.
Thai Ceramics – A brief introduction
Artists and craftsmen have been creating wonderful pottery using the clay of Thailand for centuries. As long ago as the third century BCE in fact. Many suppose that the industry only started after the Chinese visited centuries later and started to trade with Thailand. This is not true. However, it is certainly true that Thais incorporated the ancient Chinese techniques into their unique designs.
Sukhothai and Sawankhalok Ceramics
The earliest pottery was earthenware from the Ban Chiang area of present day Udon Thani. Later, we find glazed items from Ban Kao in the Kanchanaburi province. Probably the most famous areas today are Sukhothai and Sawankhalok. You will find examples of Sawankhalok pottery in museums around the world. Indeed, Thais traded pottery and ceramics extensively with neighboring countries and even shipped them further afield.
There are also ceramic and pottery works in many other areas of the Kingdom. In the Bangkok area Thais developed Bencharong and Lai Nam Thong wares in the 18th and 19th centuries. Initially they created Bencharong (Five colors) wares exclusively for the Royal Palaces. Lai Nam artists added gold embellishments later in the 19th century and both these wares are highly prized among Thai collectors.
Often the local clay and river silt determines the unique characteristics of the local ceramic art. Wood and earthenware are the basic building blocks for most of the many thousands of golden temples that are found at every turn as you travel around Thailand. Though we love to acquire the finest wares, we are also very fond of the more primitive examples that we come across. Nowadays there are a new breed of modern artists that are using traditional methods and local materials to create a brand-new array of fine sculptures and pottery.
Our Thai ceramic, earthenware and pottery sculptures, Blue & White porcelain, elephants and dolls are made to extremely high standards. Using ancient glazing techniques also helps to create extraordinarily strong items. Many of which, therefore, do very well outdoors, and are resilient to the weather. We also like the fact that they develop their own unique patina with age. This only seems to add to their character.
“Thank you, Howie for all your kind efforts procuring my garden sculptures. I just love to sit and look at them in my garden. Now they really belong here, and I can’t imagine the place without them. I am thinking of turning my attention to indoors now. Maybe I will be asking for your help again very soon.”
Jayne P – Texas