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   Thailand 's fine selection home decor - Handcraft from nature

Benjarong @ AsianDecorate.Com

AsianDecorate Brand

Benjarong, the pottery with traditional and colorful Thai hand-painted pattern, is empirical evidence of Thailand's position as a cultural 'melting pot' between the two major Asian cultures - Chinese and Indian. Popular among Thai royalty and the elite classes for their domestic use from the ancient Ayudhaya period (circa 1400 A.D.) to the early twentieth century, Benjarong was initially produced in China for the Thai royal court according to Thai designs.
These designs were heavily influenced by Indian hand-painted fabric. (Dharmapreechakorn & Pinsri, 1990) But later (circa 1900 A.D.) Thai craftsmen were able to produce Benjarong pottery by themselves. Benjarong reached its zenith during the reigns of King Rama II - King Chulalongkorn (1809-1910), when an almost endless number of exquisite designs were developed and produced, many of which are now highly treasured.
However, during the reign of King Vajirawut (1910-1925) Benjarong's popularity among Thai aristocrats was replaced by expensive industrially-made tableware from the West. Since then much of the production of Benjarong has been merely the reproduction of ancient designs, and in some cases the production of fake antiques.
As a result, with only some exceptions, for almost 80 years the development of Benjarong in terms of design has ceased. What can be found on the today's market are Benjarong souvenirs - imitations of ancient designs with little relevance to contemporary, everyday use and taste.. for all home decoration styles.

 

 

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