This large brown-glazed bowl is an example of export ware made in Thailand. It is called a ‘tempayan Siam’ by the Straits Chinese, who used such wares. They were kept in the kitchen to make fermented wine ('tapeh') from glutinous rice or a local root vegetable known as 'ubi kayu.' These were prepared as a mixture that was wrapped in a banana leaf and placed in the bowl under a heavy blanket, where the warmth enabled fermentation to take place.
