The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. XLIV, Part 1-2, 1956 - Khamkoo

68 Charles Nelson Splnks
on a tribute-bearing mission, and when the outer barbarians paid
homage in this manner the Mongol rulers bad adopted the timehonored
Chinese custom of bestowing upon such vassals some of the
blessings of Chinese civilization. It is quite conceivable, therefore,
that the Mongols in aclmowledging King Rama Khambilng's tributary
status were only too pleased to permit their vassal to share in some
of the more advanced Chinese ceramic techniques and to allow him
to take some skilled potters back to Siam.
'l'bere also may have been another more snhtle reason why
Rama Khamheng was permitted to take Chinese potters to Snkhothai.
Having few cultural attainments of their own, the Mongols had
readily adopted many of the customs and practices of China which
were useful in giving their het.erogeneous empire a greater degree of
cultural unity as well as conferritlg upon themselves a more urbane,
sophistioated character which was laoking in their nomadic heritage.
The Mongols thereby became a kind of channel by which Chinese
cultural influences were diSSE'minatecl over large parts of Asia and
even to Europe. We can find, therefore, an interesting as well as a
striking parallel between the introduction of Chinese ceramic techniques
into Siam and the introduction of Chinese pottery-making
methods into Persia.
The Persian Parallel
Between 1256 and 1265 Hulagu, a brother of Kublai Khan,
consolidated Mongol power in Iraq and Persia where he established
a kind of Mongol sub-kingdom with its capital at Tabriz. H\Jlagn
was, of course, politically oriented to the Yi1an Court at Peking,
which at once made him to some dt>gree culturally oriented to the
civilization of China. Thus we find Hulagn and his snccessot•s using
Chinese-style seals in their official correspondence, impressions of
which are still preserved in letters sent from the Tabriz Court to
Philip the Fair of France. We also find that Hulagn imported
Chinese potters, papermakers and other skilled artisans to his capital,
as a result of which Persian pottery, textiles ancl painting soon
reflected a strong Chinese influence. The dragon, phoenix and other