In this post I would like to write about my latest addition to the collection. It’s two Thai drinking bowls made of hammered brass. In Thai they are called kan nam and were used in a number of different ways. The Thais were and are still a very collectivistic culture and this can easily be seen when they eat. For many Thais it’s important to eat together and several different dishes are served and shared together.
Nowadays individual drinking glasses will be used but a couple of generations back the drink was shared and everyone used the same drinking bowl.
Most Thai homes would have a large stoneware jar outside the main door. These klong jars as they are called are still used in many Thai homes to hold water. When someone wants to go inside the house the feet has to be cleaned and a kan nam bowl would be used to scoop the water out. The other purpose for the jar was to offer a guest a drink from the bowl.
In the old days villages and roads used to have klong jars placed out so that thirsty passers by could have a drink from the bowl that was also provided. Nowadays this is a long forgotten tradition and plastic water bottles and 7/11 has taken its place.
Kan Nam bowls are still used but not for drinking, instead they are used during the songkran (the Thai new year) for pouring water over Buddha statues to ritualistically wash them. They are also used during the celebrations to hold scented water to splash gently on other people. The later songkran tradition is also dying out and has been replaced by water pistols and buckets with ice water. The modern ones are mostly made of aluminum or plastic.
These two bowls are of two different sizes the larger one is 17cm in diameter and 9.5cm high while the smaller one is 14cm in diameter and 7cm high. They are both decorated with deities surrounded by decour of stylized wines so typical of Thai art.
The bottoms have a design with a cross patter on one and a star on the other, they are both chakra symbols. Some parts of the bowls has been covered in what I believe to be tin to highlight the design.
These bowls have a really good provenance, something that is really unusual for this type of objects. I know the names of all the previous owners all the way back to when they ended up in State of kelantan east coast of Malaysia. The Bowl been given to my late great great grandmother since 17th or 18th century of phatanni Siam from generation to generation till presents and our family have been the keeper ever since. Just recently I had a short visit to my late dad hometown and saw this bowl in my late grandmother house which recall me about an events after the Padi's harvest season where it's been used for a traditional ceremony back in the days when I was 7th years old. I started to realise the uniqueness work of arts on the design and workmanship of this 17th century craft which I won't see this like in our everyday life nowadays. It's so details and a symbol form of arts which have not been seen ever since I believe, not here in Malaysia but in siams, not so sure about that. It's priceless if u know how it from.
If anyone interested to buy this pair of mine, feel free to contact me or u can pm me for details. 10q for reading this knowledgable short info work of arts crafting of Asia. 
