Page 136 - Chinese and Asian Ceramics from an Indonesian Collection

Chapter 6. Glazed and Unglazed Storage Vessels in the Musi River

Figure 247. Jars, unglazed but high fired, height 22.9 &, 27 cm,
South China, probably late Song Dynasty, Fujian
Province, Quanzhou, C12–C13, from the Musi
River. Catalogue Nos K1008, K1009.

Figure 250. Jar, olive green glaze with blue spot on shoulder,
height 43.9 cm, China, Ming Dynasty, C14–C17,
from the Musi River. Catalogue No. K2619.

During the early-Ming to mid-Ming Dynasty (C14–C16)
forms and decoration continued with styles developed
Figure 248. Jarlet, height 7.3 cm, Song or Yuan Dynasty, Fujian in the Song Dynasty but frequently the neck of jars was
Province, C11–C14, from the Musi River, Boom
Baru site. Catalogue No. K2215. longer and potting improved (Adhyatman and Ridho
1984). However, reduction in shipment of ceramic export
ware from China, particularly of high quality blue and
white wares (see earlier section), would probably have
also reduced production of storage jars used in such
shipments from the kilns in Guangdong and Fujian
Provinces, even though the southern Chinese provinces
retained a considerable autonomy from the northern
capital during the Early-Ming dynasty.
One tall (44 cm high) beautiful olive green glazed
jar with a blue glaze tear drop on its lower shoulder was
probably also from the Ming period (Figure 250).
During the Late-Ming Dynasty, particularly after 1573,
storage jars were again produced in great quantities to send
Ming ceramics, especially blue and white wares, to South
East Asia and the rest of the world. Experts (Adhyatman
and Ridho 1984, Harrisson 1986, Long 1992, Nyiri 2016)
place these Late-Ming jars into three groups as follows:
The first group comprised small or large jars (glazed on
the upper third of the body). They often had a crowded
decoration of sculpted dragons, pheasants, phoenixes and
human figures on shoulders, and sometimes incorporated
into the lugs. These decorations appeared to have been
Figure 249. Jar, base flat, four bulky lugs pressed to neck,
decorated with a Tradition—type 2 dragon applied formed in a crude mould, and then attached to the body
and carved around shoulder, height 16 cm, probably before further sculpting. Harrisson (1986) thought many
C15–C16, South China, Guangdong Province, or of these were made in the Central Vietnamese Go-Sanh
Central Vietnam, Go-Sanh kilns, from the Musi kilns. However, Long (1992) assigned them to the Shiwan
River, Pusri site. Catalogue No. K743. workshops near Foshan, Guangdong Province, which

119