Benjarong ware is a kind of painted porcelain in Thailand. The name literally means 'five colors'. The painted decoration usually consists of 3 to 8 colors. For the decoration, repetitive forms, usually geometric or flower-based, are used. A design is usually named after the decoration base name and a background color (for example, Phum Kao Bin on dark blue).
Enamel colors are applied and overglazed, creating a swelling effect over the surface of the piece. The production process is incredibly labor-intensive, as each of is applied individually and the piece is kiln fired after the application of each color. The firing process brightens the colors of the finished piece and adds to its beauty. Gold is also used in painting the porcelain
History
The origins of Benjarong are traced back to the Ming Dynasty in China (1368 - 1644). Tradition has it that, some six hundred years ago, a princess from China married into the Siam (now Thailand) Royal Family and brought with her Benjarong porcelain. At that time it is understood that Benjarong porcelain was being made only for the Emperor of China. Benjarong was then supplied from China to the King of Siam for several generations. Eventually deposits of kaolin were discovered in Siam which allowed the production of porcelain to commence in that country.The King of Siam brought over from China some of the artists and established workshops in his country.
Benjarong continued to be produced in small communities of artists, with skills handed down from generation to generation, for the next four hundred years. During this period Benjarong was produced exclusively for use in the palaces of the Siam Royal Family. Some of the patterns shown on the Benjarong marketed by us are of Chinese origins and go back to the Ming Dynasty. These ancient patterns are free-form (unstructured), such as the Vine Flowers ("Dok-mai-Khod") and Butterfly and contrast with the more structured and geometric patterns
