A TWELVE-SIDED LACQUERED PEDESTAL BASIN (THALUM) INLAID WITH FOILED COLOURED GLASS
Thailand, South East Asia, 19th century

Of typical hourglass-like shape, faceted in twelve sides, with a compressed rounded basin at the top resting on a stepped pedestal, lacquered in black on the exterior and in dark red on the interior, the body decorated with panels of inlaid micromosaic veneering with coloured glass tesserae on foil arranged in three main decorative bands, the top with clusters of fish scale motif, the middle with a frieze of stylised suns or flowers, the base with squares of geometric patterns, several further horizontal fretwork bands in between, 25.3cm diam. and 16cm high.

Twelve-sided lacquered ceremonial basins (thalum or talum) such as ours were traditionally used in Thailand near altars with Buddhist devotional icons. Their purpose was to hold offerings of fruit, flowerheads, or full garlands of flowers and occasionally, they were also used to offer gifts, such as new robes, to senior monks. The unusual use of coloured glass inlay in our lot suggests that the thalum was most probably commissioned for use in a special monastery. The glass inlay gives the appearance of gold and encrusted gems, without the necessity to actually use such expensive and treasured materials (J. Byachrananda, Thai Mother-of-Pearl Inlay, 2001, pp. 126 - 7).