Mother-of-pearl is an inlay (fig.) made of the inner shell of mussels, oysters, and other shells. When light is shed on it it will give a beautiful optical reflection, as is also seen in pearls. In Thailand, this art developed in Ayutthaya, in the middle of the 14th century AD.

In this artwork relating a scene from the Ramakien, the monkey god Hanuman and the demon Totsakan are depicted in battle, inlayed in mother-of-pearl against a background of black lacquer.