Thai Art Tile Sancai Glaze

Here is a large earthenware tile with a Sancai glaze. Signed with impressed seal in lower right corner. Measures approximately 16" x 16" and has wires attached to back for easy display. Im believe its from Thailand. Does anyone know anything about these.

Chris

 

The figures on your tile certainly do look Thai. From what I have now read on Sancai Glaze this technique was Chinese. It dates to the Tang dynasty and earlier. According to the following article, Sancai Glaze was used on pottery figurines. Sometime during the Ming dynasty Sancai glaze became popular again - "...revived along with a multitude of other things "Tang" during the Ming, especially on architechtual items like tiles ..."
http://gotheborg.com/glossary/sancai.shtml

Rather than being Sancai (three color glaze) glaze, I wonder if it might be a Susancai (soft three color glaze) glaze that is probably an off shoot of Sancai glaze and still used today in SE Asia.

"Susancai (= "soft three color glaze") glazes are generally applied directly on biscuit fired (unglazed) porcelain. The style appeard during the end of the Ming dynasty and was at its most popular during the Kangxi reign. It is still produced and used today in South East Asia. The decoration is similar to the Tang dynasty (618-907) sancai ('three color') decoration made by copper, iron and cobalt oxide colored lead glazes applied on earthenware."
http://gotheborg.com/glossary/susancai.shtml

--- Susan

 

Susan,

Thanks. No clue the info is from the auctioner.

Chris

 

(I don't know Susan. Maybe there's just something about Susan-cai glaze that appeals. )

Seriously, I don't know anything about this. It's a nice looking tile.