Page 61 - Chinese and Asian Ceramics from an Indonesian Collection

Ceramics from the Musi River

Figure 40. Saucer, serrated rim with bluish grey-blue crackled
glaze, diameter 9.5 cm, possibly Song Dynasty,
Southern Guan Ware, C12–C13, from the Musi River,
Boom Baru site. Catalogue No. K1297.

Chien tea bowls were common in the Musi (Figure
36) but usually without the more subtle known glazes.
Included were ‘hare’s fur’ bowl (K1738), plain black
bowl (K1973), and plain brown bowls (K1187, K1280,
K1704).

Yue wares
See Tang Dynasty ceramic section above
Figure 39. Figurine, person squatting with rope or snake loosely Qingbai wares (960–1368)
around shoulder and held in right hand (tip of ‘snake’
missing), qingpai glaze, height 7.2 cm, Yuan Dynasty, Qingbai (Chingpai, Yingching) was a popular early
C13–C14, from the Musi River. Catalogue No. K831. porcelain with a thin, lustrous glaze that ranged in colour
between pale-blue and white. First made at Jingdezhen
(Ching-te-chen) at the juncture of Jiangxi (Kiangsi) and
or amber with contrasting colour splashes. All these pieces Anhui Provinces and bounded on the east by Zhejiang
had similar low, wide everted foot rings. Province. Active by the 10th century or earlier, Jingdezhen
was widely considered the greatest pottery centre in the
Chien wares (C10–C13) world. By the late-10th century Qingbai glazed ware
Chien (Jian, Tenmoku) ware was primarily made in was produced in a number of south-eastern kiln sites in
Fukien and Jiangxi Provinces but also some other Jianxi, Zhejiang, Hunan, Hubei, Fujian, and Guangdong
kilns, including Honan and Chihli Provinces from the Provinces. The ware was very popular both domestically
10th through the 13th centuries. These were designed and internationally (South East Asia, West Asia and the
as simple stoneware shapes to meet the tremendous Middle East) from the Northern Song Dynasty through
demand for brownish/black glazed tea bowls as tea the Yuan dynasty (960–1368). It included a wide variety of
and tea drinking customs spread throughout Chinese form and decoration which often incorporated moulded,
society. The ware was dominated by production of small carved, and appliqué décor. Most vases, ewers and jars/
tea bowls/cups and vases, and was characterised by a jarlets were made using moulded parts. The body is usually
strong emphasis on subtle effects in the glazes. Usually decorated with moulded motif. Koh (2012d) notes that
these were dark coloured, with special effects such as the Qingbai wares were most popular in Indonesia, Japan
“hare’s fur” “oil-spot” and “partridge feather” patterns. and the Philippines. He documents them in shipwreck
(Caused randomly as excess iron in the glaze was forced cargoes heading for these countries during the Northern
out during firing.) Song, Southern Song and Yuan Dynasties.

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