Oil bottle

Ceramics of the Angkor Kingdom, 1000–1200
The kingdom of Angkor produced ceramics at kilns in present-day Cambodia and northeastern Thailand for several centuries. The typical wares are solidly constructed and covered with grayish-green, or, more commonly, dark brown glaze. The Angkorian production was for local use, and few examples have been found overseas. This contrasts with Thailand and Vietnam from 1400 to 1600, where producing ceramics for export became a big business (as can be seen in the displays in Gallery 10, Southeast Asia 1300–1800).
What the containers of various sizes and shapes were used for is seldom clear. Scholars have speculated that some vessels served as oil lamps, while others must have been used in rituals. The large storage jars may have held water, fish sauce, or preserved foods. In the city of Angkor itself, many fragments of Chinese ceramics have been found, and it may be that well-to-do city dwellers preferred Chinese wares, when they could get them, over local ones.
Though influences from China’s highly developed ceramics industry may occasionally have affected the potters of the Angkor kingdom, many Angkorian ceramic vessels have a distinct character. For instance, on the tall vase displayed here the transitions from foot to body to neck are emphasized by sharp angles and multiple moldings, giving it a bold architectural quality as opposed to the graceful smoothness of many Chinese ceramics.