The skill and dedication required to make fine lacquer objects such as this had a natural parallel in Buddhist devotions. For this reason the utensils, furniture and fittings that adorned the more important and wealthy Buddhist temples were usually flamboyant objects that glittered with subtle reflections of mother-of-pearl. Elaborate trays like this were used in Buddhist ceremonies by the monks, who would place their robes on the upper pedestal before an image of the Buddha. A classic and uniquely Thai form, this receptacle is decorated with seated 'thepanom' - minor Buddhist deities - and floral-inspired ornamental motifs that echo the Buddhist decorative style. Thailand is renowned for its distinctive 'hoi fai', or flaming mother-of-pearl, made from the shell of the turbo snail that is indigenous to the Gulf of Thailand.

Art Gallery Handbook, 1999. pg. 300.