Until a few
decades back, wide parts of northern and western Thailand were
covered with dense jungles, known for their majestic teak trees.
And until just a few years back, Thailand was a major exporter
of wood, mostly in form of logs but also of manufactured wooden
products including carvings. But in the 80's soil erosion took
catastrophic proportions, and a total logging ban was imposed.
The government
rushed to declare national parks at a breathtaking rate
and meanwhile the population is as concerned about every remaining
teak tree as Europeans about centuries old oak trees. Today, no
other handicrafts are as difficult to export as are those
made of wood. While container shipments of any kind of Thai handicrafts
are generally no problem, those of wood carvings or other wooden
products are now likely to need a permit from the Department
of Fine Arts.
So difficult
is the situation by now that this author was told (half secretly)
by a major manufacturer of carved cuckoo's clocks that
he now imports his wood from... the United States.
In spite of
the fact that northern Thailand is no longer rich in woods, most
of the wood carvings of the kingdom still come from the north
(there are even fewer forests in other parts of Thailand). Traditional
Thai wood carvings have a highly original design. Most notable
are figurines of children with very round features. Typically,
they are pastel colored.
Photo: Some Thai wood carving can be too large for your suitcase.
Increasingly
available in Thailand are Burmese wood carvings which are
very different from those Thai. The easiest way to recognize Burmese
carvings is by the colors - they are black. Not that they wood
be carved from ebony - there is no ebony in Southeast Asia,
ebony being a native of central Africa.
The blackening
of the carvings would be understandable if the Burmese carvings
wood be made of a wood of minor quality without a beautiful grain.
But amazingly enough, the Burmese carvings are mostly made of
teak wood, a precious wood itself. That the Burmese teak
wood carvings are artificially blackened is the more surprising
if one knows how nowadays this blackening is brought about. It
is by... shoe polish. Without any regard of whether the
carvings might look better black or in the natural reddish teak
color, one cannot imagine that a piece of handicraft or folks
art can possibly gain in value by being treated with shoe polish.
It does sound just like wallpapering over old frescoes.
Well, if one
forgets that the black appearance stems from shoe polish, the
Burmese carvings look quite exquisite. Common motives are
workmen in short sarongs, women in ritual dances
or harnessed warriors. Typically the carvings go into great
detail. While most pieces are about 30cm (about 1ft) high, there
are also ensembles carved as one piece which include mounted
warriors, mythological animals they fight against and a base which
may include carved plants. There is a tendency that larger pieces
depict a rather martial scene.
Many arts
and antiques shops in Bangkok have a few pieces of Burmese wood
carvings, and occasionally they are also seen at handicraft stalls
along the side walks in tourist areas such as Sukhumvit
Road. A typical Bangkok price for a 30cm figurine is around 500
Baht. At Mae Sai or other towns at the Thai/Burmese border
they can be bought for half that price.
Most furniture
available in furniture stores in Bangkok meanwhile is of Western
style. Exceptions are only some rattan furniture, and especially
rosewood furniture which typically is richly decorated
by ornamental carving. Occasionally, pieces have inlaid mother-of-pearl.
The Thai (and
Vietnamese) technic for mother-of-pearl inlays is quite different
from the Chinese one. The original Chinese technic is to
fit precisely cut shell pieces into notches. The Thai and Vietnamese
technics to the contrary are to glue the mother-of-pearl
on the wood and then apply several layers of lac. After that the
surface is sanded until smooth. Some furniture stores in
Bangkok are:
