This is a large ceramic covered box from Sawankhalok in North-central Thailand, one of the largest ceramic-producing centers in Southeast Asia during the 14th century. It is decorated with painted iron-brown floral and vegetal motifs on the outer surface of the jar and the top surface of the jar cover. Thai wares such as this box have been found widely distributed from the Philippines, Java and Sulawesi, to Japan. In Southeast Asia, they were often used as ‘pusaka’ or heirlooms, while in Japan, Thai ceramics were used in the tea ceremony tradition.
