Page 120 - Chinese and Asian Ceramics from an Indonesian Collection

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

was confirmed by Adhyatman (1987) who noted that “In
Lampung, Palembang type kendis are also used but many
other variations exist. The neck and spout are shaped
as buffalo horns, bridged by a lizard type form. There
are zoomorphic vessels shaped as a rooster with a round
handle”. In the section below we illustrate some of the
variety of Lampung wares.

Kendis
Our collections of kendis from Lampung included only
three with any specific location in Lampung, namely
Menggala on the Tulang Bawang River. These were
beautifully crafted kendi with buffalo horn shaped spouts
and vestiges of what appeared to be a natural plant surface
Figure 202. Censers, carved with edges coloured with red slip, varnish. The National Museum of Jakarta also has an
from the Musi River (L) and Kecamatan Menggala,
Lampung District (R), heights 18.2 & 23.8 cm, exquisite bride and groom two-spouted kendi from the
respectively, Catalogue Nos (L–R) K2477, K149. Tulang Bawang River which was used in the anointing
of nuptial couples (Anon 1984, Figure 7). Interestingly,
archaeological excavations in 1980 at Telagamukmin in
Ogan Komering Ilir, some 65 km from Palembang. A small Desa Purwawiwitan, Kecamatan Sumberjaya, revealed
commercial pottery continues to this day in Kayu Agung. considerable quantities of locally made earthenware
In addition to two-spouted kendis, its kiln produces a shards and fragments of imported south Chinese
small range of vessels for kitchen use as well censers and stonewares dating from the 9th to 10th centuries (Edwards
crude stoves. Maurice Sawyer (pers. comm.) spent several McKinnon 1993). Telagamukmin was located on a small
months at Kayu Agung during 1984 assisting local potters upstream tributary of the Tulang Bawang River adding
improve their wares. He observed only artisanal potters support to the possibility that this river system was long
who worked with small kilns beneath their houses. They a focus of locally produced earthenware pottery.
mainly produced low-fired two-spouted kendis, simple Perhaps the modern city of Kayu Agung was the source
stoves and thick cord potted small wide mouth pots with of some of the more simply designed two-spouted kendis
cord paddle marked surfaces. These were mainly grey found in ancient Karanganyar. However, we suggest that
bodied but he commented that a variety of clays suitable for such kendis were regarded as only a small part of an
use by potters were found around Kayu Agung, including extensive range of ‘Lampung ware’, ceramics produced
red clays. He also assisted local artisanal potters in Desa mainly to the south of the Komering River and outside
Payakabung, Jalan Lintas Tengah, some 25 km southwest the Musi River Watershed Basin in Lampung District.
of Palembang, where fine white clay was available. ‘Lampung ware’ included superbly potted kendis with
complex decorations, sometimes of ornate human figures
‘Lampung wares’ and/or raised, incised or impressed decorations, which
The ancient earthenware pottery tradition of the Lampung were made for ceremonial purposes in the 19th century
people was amongst the finest in Indonesia (Figure 195), (Solheim 1959 Plates 2 & 3). Such ‘Lampung’ kendis were
and at least artistically comparable with wares produced fairly common in antique shops in Jakarta and Bali thirty
in Aceh, South Sulawesi and Sumba Island. So it was years ago, but are now rarely encountered.
expected that trade in ceramics would be established Other kendis with a single, or two or more spouts,
between Sriwijaya’s Palembang trading centre and similar to those still produced at Kayu Agung, continue
the peoples of Lampung. Especially as we know from to be produced and sold extensively in markets and
inscriptions at Kota Kapur on Bangka Island and from specialist shops throughout Indonesia, especially in Java
those in Lampung Province at Palas Pasemah and Jabung, where they serve as water containers and in numerous
on the Way Sekampung River, that Sriwijaya controlled cultural ceremonies (Rooney 2003). The spouted pot
the Lampung people as far south as Palas Pasemah. kendi may have been first made in South Asia or Southeast
Unfortunately, we know little of where ‘Lampung Asia. They have been found in Burma (Stargardt 1990),
ware’ was produced in earlier times or the location of Cambodia (Stark 2000), Malaysia (Khoo 1991), Thailand
centres that might have been involved in its trade down (Indrawooth 1985, 2004), Vietnam (Tan 2003), Indonesia
the Komering River. As mentioned, only the site of Kayu (McKinnon 2003, Adhyatman 1987) and the Philippines
Agung in the Musi River Basin (on the Komering River, (Main and Fox 1982). They vary greatly in style, colour
which was a primary river branch of the Musi River) was and form (e.g. Mundardjito et al. 2003: Figure 9.2; Rooney
known to produce modern earthenwares, including crude 2003).
two-spouted ‘Lampung ware’ kendis. However, in the Kendis with two spouts connected by a bridge were
southern part of Sumatra it was the Lampung District, reasonably common in the Musi. They ranged in
rather than Palembang or other areas in South Sumatra form from a robust more oval shape (Figure 196 ) to
District, that was the centre of ceramic production. This a flattened and ribbed body with radial line-slipped

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