Page 51 - Chinese and Asian Ceramics from an Indonesian Collection

Ceramics from the Musi River

high-quality foliated bowls, also had spur marks on a
recessed glazed base, suggesting that they were also fired
while stacked in kilns. Perhaps the characteristic of wares
that distinguish them as high or low quality needs further
clarification!
Two bowls from the Musi had a simple upper rim. The
smaller (diameter 12.1 cm) had seven oval spur marks
in the inner well and seven irregular shaped spur marks
on a recessed and unglazed base (K782); the other was
larger (diameter 15.5 cm) and had five spur marks on a
glazed base (K1909).
Three small to moderate sized (diameter 12–26 cm),
low, bowls had everted upper rims sloping downwards
(K849, K917, K976, K2007, K2031, K2389), several had a
mottled glaze similar to earlier Yue glazes and may date
from the early-Tang Dynasty. These all had glazed bases
with five elongate or oblong spur marks on the base, one
had a Chinese character inscribed on the base. Others
included a small bowl (diameter 12.1 cm) with simple Figure 15. Jarlet, decorated with applied buttons and incised
upper rim K1185), a spittoon (Figure 9), a bird feeder brackets inside panels around body, height 8.5 cm,
(K850), lidded jars (K848), bottles (K1161, K1281), finely Late Tang to Five Dynasties, Zhejiang Province,
potted jars (K1459) and two oil lamps in the form of a Yue ware, C9–C10, from the Musi River, Pusri site.
Makara (K1688). Catalogue No. K1324.
Also, there were a wide variety of ewers (Figure 10) of
various sizes, shapes and colours (K737, K740, K741, K760,
K762, K767, K769, K784, K1920, K2056). Koh (2017a)
described several similar ewers, thought to be from the
Musi, as popular undecorated trade ware.
Two other smaller ewers (K1982, K2631) were of a
very different shape and had thin necks and spouts with
basined distal parts (missing in the latter).
A rare jar from the Musi (Figure 11) with incised
carving and a quality celadon glaze was probably Five
Dynasties or early-Northern Song Dynasty.
A lidded jar (Figure 12) from the Musi (K1331 and
K892 (lid), similar to a group figured in UNESCO (2017), Figure 16. Xun flute, shaped as a sitting peacock, wing incised on
was probably made at the Wenzhou kilns in Zhejiang, dorsum, one large and three small holes, length 10.3
which Koh (2017c) described as having a lighter green cm, Late Tang to Five Dynasties, Zhejiang Province,
glaze and a lotus motif carved deeper and more roughly Yue ware, C10–C11, from the Musi River, Pusri site.
than those from the Yue kilns. Catalogue No. K1990.
During the Tang Dynasty wine was drunk from small
cups, which had matching stands, and poured from bottles Five Dynasties or early-Northern Song Dynasty but that it
with a narrow opening, closed with a stopper. The heavily cannot be definitely assigned to the Shanglinhu or other
reconstructed Yue ware from the Musi (Figure 13) was known kilns. It was fired using Yue techniques, often
probably one such wine bottle. It was decorated with with Tang forms and with its decoration split and divided
incised outlines of two fish sharing a common mouth and horizontally. The body of vases was often divided into five
two eyes, and probably had two small lugs (the vestige of panels as in Late-Tang wares and there were two small loops
one lug can be seen) to support a cord to carry it, or to at the base of the necks. Examples of ‘grey ware’ from
fasten a stopper. It was similar to a form recovered from the Musi were smaller high quality elegant long spouted
both the 9th century Belitung wreck (Krahl 2010) and ewers (K862, K863, K1279, K1841, K2056) with relatively
Sungei Jaong, Sarawak, which was dated by Chin (1988, simple incised or carved decoration (Figure 14). These
Plate 10) from the 10th to 12th century. ‘grey ewers’ are similar to high quality 10th century ewers
A substantial proportion of the Yue ware from the Musi from the Cirebon wreck (which were more elaborately
was the ‘grey ware’ mentioned above. The grey colour decorated with fine incised or carved, sgraffito motifs, as
results from their pale bluish or greyish-green glaze; some figured by Koh (2017c).
pieces were almost white. Their colour and form make Other ‘grey ware’ included laterally compressed small
‘grey ware’ among the ‘most graceful of early Chinese bowls (K951, K1471), a variety of small jarlets (Figure
porcelains’ (Gompertz 1980). He stated that such ware 15) with broadly incised or appliqué decoration (K985,
was probably produced in Zhejiang Province during the K1096, K1132, K1324), bottles (K1294), bowls (K1476,

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