A DARK-BROWN GLAZED STONEWARE ‘RODENT’ LIME POT, ANGKOR PERIOD
Lot 130 - SING0925

Khmer Empire, 11th-13th century. The globular vessel, supported on a flat foot and rising to a small circular mouth, modeled in the stylized form of a rodent, its feet subtly suggested beneath the body, encircled with a raised collar, and a long tail extending upward along the spine. The anthropomorphic face of the animal distinguished by bulging eyes, a prominent nose, and a pronounced mouth forming a subtle smile, surmounted by two upright ears. The pot covered in an opaque brown glaze pooling and stopping unevenly around the base, revealing the underlying buff-colored ware.

Provenance: Private collection of A. Hansen, Denmark. Mr. Hansen (b. 1955) is a retired Danish Supreme Court lawyer and lifelong collector with a deep passion for history and culture. His collecting journey began at the age of eight with stamps, encouraged by his father, and quickly developed into a serious pursuit. By 1982, his specialized collection of Greenland postal history earned international recognition. Following this success, Mr. Hansen turned his focus to fine art and antiquities, beginning with Danish art and later expanding into East and Southeast Asian artifacts after an inspiring Japanese exhibition in 1985. Over the following decades, his collection grew to include mostly ceramic artworks from Annam, Khmer, Burmese, and Thai origins, acquired through reputable collectors and auction houses.
Condition: Good condition with ancient wear and expected firing irregularities, including fine craquelure to the glaze. Signs of weathering, and minor fritting to the foot of the vessel.

Weight: 436.3 g
Dimensions: Length 10.4 cm

By the late 6th or early 7th century, Khmer potters adopted the potter’s wheel, greatly improving vessel production. A Khmer inscription from 674 even compares the act of creation to the turning of the wheel. Early ceramics were occasionally decorated with slip and pigment, a practice largely abandoned after 800 AD with the rise of glazed stoneware.

The first glazed ceramics in Southeast Asia outside of direct Chinese influence appeared under Khmer kings Indravarman I and Yasovarman I (ca. 880–940). By the 11th century, Khmer wares featured refined, gray-toned clay and the introduction of zoomorphic motifs, such as the stylized rat on the present vessel. After 1100, animal-shaped containers often displayed applied moldings, incised patterns, and glossy brown glazes, with gourd-shaped forms becoming especially popular.

Khmer potters made animal-shaped containers and lidded small jars to be used for holding lime paste, one of the ingredients in the betel quid. Made from areca nut and lime paste wrapped in a fresh betel leaf, the betel quid was chewed as a digestive and stimulant but also had an important role in hospitality and in social and religious rituals. Pottery containers for lime paste were made in graduated sizes, for use by individuals or larger groups, and glazed with both green and brown glazes.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related brown-black glazed lime pot in the form of a frowning cat, Khmer Empire (present-day Cambodia), dated 1100-1300, 10.0 cm high, in the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, accession number 828C116, and illustrated in: Dick Richards (ed.), South-East Asian Ceramics: Thai, Vietnamese, and Khmer from the Collection of the Art Gallery of South Australia, 1995, p. 172, no. 133 (right).