Page 108 - Chinese and Asian Ceramics from an Indonesian Collection

Chapter 5. Unglazed, Slipped & Painted Wares in the Musi River

a
a b

c d

Figure 172. Pots, slip decorations, heights a) 25, b) 19.8, d)
18.5 cm, Peninsula Thailand, probably mid-2nd
millennium from the Musi River, all Sungai Rebo
site. Catalogue Nos. a) K2153, b) K2674, d) K2673
(Pot ‘c’ not collected).

The Mon people at the Satingpra site complex on
the south-east coast of Peninsula Thailand were under
Javanese influence form the late-8th or 9th century.
And then Sriwijayan influence from the 10th to 13th
century. Interestingly, according to a number of authors,
Palembang was not the political centre of Sriwijaya at this
time. In fact Twitchett and Stargardt (2002) suggest that
this period, which was dominated by the maritime ceramic
Figure 171. Kendi with carved lotus leaves and bands of slip, trade of the Chinese Song Dynasty, had probably moved
height 20.7 cm, probably Peninsula Thailand,
C10–C14, from the Musi River, Batu Ampar site. to Jambi or Satingpra which had assumed primacy over
Catalogue No. K2536. Palembang as the region’s major entrepôt. This opinion
was based on the greater density of Song trade debris at
this and maybe also later than the 12th century. One these latter two ports compared to Palembang at that
Satingpra kendi was found at Kota Cina, Sumatra, time. These authors support this contention by noting
in an 11th century stratum and several others were that there was a known triangular relationship in maritime
collected from a pond at Candi Gumpung in Muara trade linking both coastlines of the Malay Peninsula. In
Jambi, Sumatra. The white variety of Satingpra kendis the east (Satingpra) and in the west (Penka-lang and
was also found at Butuan, Philippines and Gresik, Bujang Valley sites: Kedah) with those on the east coast
East Java. Miksic (1979) reports that Malleret (1960) of Sumatra (Jambi, Kota Cina, Palembang).
recovered similar fine paste ware at Oc Eo and at all Sriwijaya had some form of political influence over
11 Funan sites of the Transbassac region in South Satingpra at the time this site complex was exporting fine
Vietnam. Satingpra type kendis were also recorded in paste earthenware throughout many parts of South East
the cargo of several 10th century shipwrecks in the Java Asia. It is, then, not surprising that Satingpra type kendis
Sea, including the Intan Karawang (148 earthenware were commonly recovered from the Musi River. Some
kendi) and Cirebon (1,100 earthenware kendi). examples include: K1631, which although damaged, had
Stargardt (2012) closely examined these kendis and a body widest below waist and a moderately tall everted
concluded that they may have been made at the Kok foot stand with flat base similar to a kendi from the Intan
Moh kilns during an earlier stage of production or wreck figured in Stargardt (2012, Page 21, upper photo);
at nearby kilns which used similar potting techniques three others with bodies which were widest at the waist,
and shapes. The only other known source of similar had a very short foot with a flat bases, long necks with
fine paste ware was in East Java where Miksic and Yap an everted rim and a basal collar, and long thin pouring
(1988) found two types of ceremonial ceramics that spout. These included K1338, K1377, K2084, K2273
were made during the 9th to 15th century. These were (Figure 167) similar to those from Kok Moh, Satingpra
red and white ware and they were exported to central in Stargardt (2012, page 23) except that the neck collar
Java during the late-1st millennium. was basal and not central.

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