Thai Mother of Pearl Talum, Thalum

Large, Twelve-Sided Mother-of-Pearl Inlaid Lacquered Talum

Thailand

This unusually large mother-of-pearl inlaid lacquered talum or pedestal tray has twelve sides and has been inlaid with various typically Thai designs and motifs against a black lacquer ground. The shoulder of the foot and shoulder of the bowl have been inlaid with the pendant flower lai kruay choeng design. The foot is decorated with chains of flowers. The waist section has repeated flower panels. And the bowl is decorated with panels of fine vertical leaf motifs. The rim also is decorated and has flower chain motifs.

The interior is decorated with a plain cinnabar-red lacquer (there is some age-related flaking and surface cracking).

Talums of this size usually were used in temples (

wats) and monasteries to hold flower and other offering before and on an altar.

Typically, the shells from which the shell inlay used in Thai mother-of-pearl inlaid lacquer work came from the coral reefs along the coast of Phuket and Surat Thani Provinces in the south of Thailand, and Chanthaburi and Trat Provinces of the east. Thrones for kings and palace and temple doors were among the larger items lacquered and inlaid with pearl shell. During the early Bangkok period (1782-1824), mother-of-pearl inlay work was so popular that high-ranking members of the royal family were appointed to oversee its production in a bureau known as ‘the Department of Mother-of-Pearl Inlay’ (McGill, 2009, p. 200). But by the end of the nineteenth century, the art form started to lose its popularity as Western styles came more into vogue. The Department was closed down in 1926.

Byachrananda, J., Thai Mother-of-Pearl Inlay, River Books, 2001.

McGill, F. (ed.),

Emerald Cities: Arts of Siam and Burma, 1775-1950, Asian Art Museum, 2009.

UK art market