Page 92 - Vol_2_Archaeology of Manila Galleon Seaport Trade

3 The Investigation and Preliminary Analysis of Nan’ao … 59

been made roughly in shaping, decorating and !ring, leaving broken cracks on the
surface of bottom of the large plate and uneven !ring in the paste of the ware. The
decoration patterns are casually designed and dully colored. The patterns include
peony, chrysanthemum, lotus, graceful ladies, recluse, playing boys, Kirin, dragon,
phoenix, swimming !shes and some Chinese characters (Fig. 3.7).
The number of Jingdezhen kiln wares is far less than that of Zhangzhou kiln,
which, however, are the most exquisite wares from the site. They are characterized
with light, thin and white paste, well covered glassy glaze. They had been neatly
shaped and the usual types are small artifacts such as bowls, dishes and cups. The
decoration patterns of blue and white are bright and beautiful with different types of
landscape, human !gures, flowers, animals and treasure designs that are surrounded
by cloud and thunder, water wave, cross, rhombic and etc. The Chinese characters
inscriptions usually present at the bottom of these wares, such as Wan Fu You Tong
(""!", all best wishes), Fu Gui Jia Qi (#!!", the best ware for rich and
honour), Chang Ming Fu Gui ("##!, best wishes for long live and rich and
honour), Da Ming Nian Zao (""!#, Made in Ming Dynasty), Da Ming Xuande
Nian Zhi (""%!!!, Made in Xuande period of Ming Dynasty), Da Ming
Jiajing Nian Zhi (""#"!!, Made in Jiajing period of Ming Dynasty) (Fig. 3.8).
A small amount of Wucai porcelain bowls and powder boxes of Jingdezhen kiln
present panel pattern decoration with gold tracery. These artifacts had been well and
neatly made, with four or six round panel patterns which decorated with flower
sprays, pendant and string beads (Fig. 3.9). These artifacts are the only discovery of
panel pattern decoration in the site and they belong to an earlier period of the
content.
The porcelains of both Zhangzhou and Jingdezhen kilns collected from the
Nan’ao No. I shipwreck present typical characteristic of early Wanli ("", AD

Fig. 3.9 A Wucai bowl painted with four panels of egret and lotus from Nan’ao No. I shipwreck
site