Crafts

The South of Thailand has its own interesting mix of cultures, quite different from other parts of the country. The crafts there reflect the infusion of styles from Malaysia, India and China. Among the most celebrated products of the region are nielloware, batik fabrics and bamboo baskets.

Nielloware
The Portuguese, who were the first Europeans to establish trade relations with Siam, as Thailand was then called, are thought by some to have introduced the art of making decorative nielloware crafts. Others believe that Indian traders transmitted knowledge of the technique from Persia, where it originated.

Creating artistically designed nielloware objects is today identified with provinces in the far south of the kingdom, particularly the area around Nakhon Si Thammarat, where it has been a specialty for centuries. For several centuries it has been a traditional gift of state, presented by the Thai monarch to visiting dignitaries, and this tradition continues to the present day.

Nielloware is made by combining deeply engraved objects of gold or silver with a fill of niello, which is a metallic alloy of lead, copper and silver. The intricate patterns are sometimes embellished with inlays of mother-of-pearl. Beautiful alms bowls, trays, teapots, betel boxes, urns and vases are designed with floral patterns or images of mythical figures. It has been used in wats and palaces and to decorate the throne used by His Majesty the King when ambassadors present their credentials.

Like many crafts, nielloware has long been considered a symbol of the status of the individual or family that commissions or owns it. While many of the objects made of it are everyday items such as containers or goblets, they are highly prized. Sometimes, on the death of the owner, they are donated to a favored monastery in order to make merit for the departed.

Basketry
Baskets and woven bamboo goods are used for a range of purposes in Thai homes and shops. Everything from the walls of some Thai houses to fish traps, fans, furniture and musical instruments are made from strips of bamboo bark.

Other durable grasses and ferns are also used to make a multitude of containers for everyday use. One of the best known is a vine called 'yan lipao' which is plentiful in the South. The pliant, supple stems are polished and woven into elegant containers, betel-nut boxes, trays and other fashionable items. The craft, which was once practiced extensively in the South, especially in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, has recently been reinvigorated with the encouragement of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. She helped establish a project in Narathiwat province, in the deep South, where stylish decorative items and fashion accessories are made from yan lipao for sale and export.

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