Page 59 - Chinese and Asian Ceramics from an Indonesian Collection

Ceramics from the Musi River

South East Asia. This included the northern coast of
Java as indicated by the Jepara shipwreck cargo. Most
export Fujian celadon probably came from the coastal
kilns near Quanzhou, which included, among others,
the Nanan, Tongan, Anxi, Xiamen, Minhou, Fuqing,
Putian and Lianjiang kilns.
Song and Yuan Dynasty Fujian celadon ware from
the Musi included: small and large olive-green bowls
from the Tongan kilns with carved and combed cloud
patterns on the inner surface (K1000, K1275, K1422–3),
some of which (Figure 33) approached the high quality
of Longquan ware (K1464, K2005, K2509); smaller bowls
with simple lotus patterns (K782); moderate sized blue-
grey bowls, with incised leaf patterns in the cavetto and
a tiny flower in the well or with a Chinese character in
the centre (K1905, K2109, K2116), possibly from the
Mingging or Putian kilns. And small to large bowls from
Yuan Putian kilns (Figure 34) with impressed and incised
Figure 34. Bowl, ribbed cavetto, unglazed ring around well, floral sketches and an unglazed ring around the inner
which has impressed flower spray, diameter 13.1 cm,
Yuan Dynasty, Fujian Province, Putian kilns, C13–C14, well (K1086–7, K1797, K1862, possibly K2296, K2432).
from the Musi River, Pusri site. Catalogue No. K1862. A further three heavily potted bowls from the Musi
were rather distinctive (K2088, K1388, K2660). They
had a greyish olive-green or pale-green celadon glaze
production was the major factor in the demise of Yue that was degraded such that the appearance was of a
wares. It was produced at several sites in south-western mat finish. The body was a reddish or pink colour and
Zhejiang Province in south China. During the Northern the inner cavetto had impressed marigold flowers or a
Song period it was typically decorated with a carved or floral scroll, the foot ring was moderate with recessed
combed decoration under a green glaze. This was rapidly base. One (K2660) had an unglazed well. K2088 was a
refined by Southern Song potters, who produced celadons kiln failure and comprised two bowls fused together as
with simple, elegant, well-proportioned shapes covered they were stacked when fired. Several other examples
in a wide range of thick lustrous blue-green glazes which of warped or fused glazed ceramics were recovered
resembled polished jade (which was imitated by later indicating that such pieces also had a market value,
potters). It is thought that many Longquan potters moved presumably to poorer people.
to Ch’u-chou during the Yuan Dynasty, which then became
the centre of celadon production where it continued to Northern celadon wares (C10–C15)
be produced through the Ming Dynasty.
Yao-chou district in Shansi Province was an important
Longquan ware was quite common in Indonesia from kiln centre in North China during the Song Dynasty.
several sites, especially in mud below the sea in a small It and three other kiln complexes in Shansi produced
area of Tuban Bay, where boats anchored laden with Yuan beautiful high fired thin-walled grey-bodied Yaozhou
Dynasty products for sale to the Central Java Majapahit ware with incised, mould-impressed, combed, carved or
Kingdom. Such ware was much less abundant in the Musi applied relief decoration under a translucent olive-green
and was restricted to plates (Figure 32), bowls with eight glaze. These kilns form a fairly homogenous ceramic
finely incised Chinese characters in the well (K1988), or group generally termed northern celadon (Gompertz,
with two applied fish beneath the glaze (K1851), simple 1980). Poor imitations of Yaozhou ware were produced
incised lotus leaf or geometric scroll (K2002, K2093, in Henan, Guangdong and Guangxi kilns (Koh 2017b).
K2032–4, K2473), tripod incense burners (K1861, K2089), Although Northern Song wares were produced on
tripod bowls (K1672, K2075), brush washers (K972), jars a great scale in a wide variety of vessel shapes, little of
(K989) and ewers (K2383). it was known to have been exported. Although several
fragments of Yaozhou ware were recovered in Kota
Southern Fujian celadon wares Cina, North Sumatra, apart from a possible fragment
The celadon glazed wares or Tongan green ware in a photograph, no example of Yaozhou ware was seen
produced in Fujian Province continued the tradition of by us from the Musi. A possible poor quality imitation
Longquan celadon wares from Zhejiang Province. They Yaozhou-type bowl, probably from Henan Province,
were, however, usually of inferior quality with coarser was, however, collected there (K2342).
glaze, less clear incised patterns, more crudely carved
foot rings and a range of colours varying from olive Cizhou wares (960–1644)
green, grey-green to shades of yellow (Koh 2014a). By the The Cizhou kilns in Kiangsi Province produced a wide
early-Southern Song period through the Yuan Dynasty, range of inexpensive stone wares for everyday use. They
Fujian celadon ware was exported to many places in were principally made in North China in Hopeh, Honan,

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