Page 54 - Chinese and Asian Ceramics from an Indonesian Collection

Chapter 4. Glazed Ceramics in the Musi River

Figure 23. Miniature Ewer, handle in shape of standing lion with Figure 24. Ewer, white glaze but with faint blue tear drop glaze
its head inside upper rim, neck and spout repaired, near base, upper rim and spout repaired, height
height 9.1 cm, Late-Tang Dynasty to Five Dynasties, 21cm, Late Tang Dynasty, Hebei Province, Ding Ware.
Hebei Province, Ding Ware. C9–C10, from the Musi C9–C10, from the Musi River, Pusri site. Catalogue
River, Pusri site. Catalogue No. K1711. No. K1766.

Yue ware from the Musi was predominately found at a greyish slip (K1673, K2314). A more heavily potted
the Pusri site. A total of 64 per cent of the 83 items with form with two small circular round lugs instead of vertical
recorded site information were from Pusri. Then, in order ones, or without the lateral lugs, with vestiges of dark
of abundance, Boom Baru (27 %), Batu Ampar (3%) and olive-green glaze was also found (K2271, K2135). As was
Sungai Rebo, Sungai Guci (<2%). a small version with a more ovoid bodies and a longer
rounded spout (K1066).
Changsha wares These early-Changsha wares were followed in the first
Changsha ware probably evolved in part from Yuezhou half of the 9th century by the introduction of coloured
ware (Liu Yang 2010). Kilns of both these wares were under-glaze and similarly shaped ewers but with the
situated around Dongting Lake, Hunan Province. addition of appliqué coloured with dark brown on a straw
Changsha wares, which were strongly influenced by coloured glaze (Figure 18). In the second half of the 9th
sancai techniques, developed primarily to serve foreign century, wares with a colour under-glaze became dominant
markets through the maritime trade route. The earliest on bowls water bowls, miniature jars and ewers (Figure
Changsha wares were monochrome green tinged glazed 19), both large and small (Figure 20); the glaze on three
wares during the period 760–780. Ewers from this period smaller ones was severally degraded but the pattern was
were common in the Musi (Figure 17). They ranged in probably similar to one collected some time ago ‘to the
height from 12.9 cm to 21.5 cm, were reasonably well north-east of Java’ (K432)
potted, had wide necks, generally short eight-sided spouts, A special milky white lime glaze with green/blue
everted upper rims and were glazed with a watery olive- splashes glaze was used during the Late-Tang and Five
green glaze (sometimes thickened around the neck and Dynasties period (Koh 2016b). Several examples of
shoulder) over much of the upper body and applied over that polychrome included a large ewer (Figure 21),

37