Page 69 - Chinese and Asian Ceramics from an Indonesian Collection

Ceramics from the Musi River

Figure 60. Bowl, cavetto and outer body with lotus panels
outlined in black enamels and filled with red-brown
brocade balls, leafed plants and traces of flowers in
Figure 58. Plate, under-glaze grey-blue mythical Qilin over-glaze red-brown, diameter 18.5 cm, Mid-Ming
surrounded by cloud sketches and brochade balls Dynasty, Jiajiang 1522–1566, from the Musi River,
in well, outer wall with flowers connected by leafy Pusri site. Catalogue No. K1370.
vine, diameter 17.8 cm, Mid Ming Dynasty, Hongzhi
emperor, 1488–1505, from the Musi River. Catalogue and both for local and foreign markets. During the
No. K1455. reign of the Xuande Emperor (1425 to 1435) a greatly
improved control over the firing of cobalt was achieved
by technical refinements during its preparation which
resulted in sharper under-glaze blue decoration. Enamel
decoration was perfected under the Chenghua Emperor
(1464–1487). By this time, kaolin and pottery stone were
mixed in about equal proportions which produced wares
of great strength when added to the paste and it also
enhanced the whiteness of the body (Brook 1998).
Ming and Qing Dynasty blue and white wares collected
in the Musi were mostly bowls, plates and jarlets, which
were abundant. These can be reasonably accurately dated
by comparison with cargoes recovered from shipwrecks
of known date. Notable reports of these finds are from
Koh (see References), Brown (2007) and Crick (2002).
And from shape and decoration diagnostics presented in
general references, especially from Koh (2010b).
During the reign of the earliest Ming emperors from
Hongwu to Yongle (1368–1424), no blue and white
porcelain was seen from the Musi. This accorded with
the international decline in export of such wares during
that period.
During the remainder of the early-Ming emperor reigns
(1436–1487), blue and white porcelain found in the Musi
was from Zhengtong to Jingtai (K1406, K1523), Jingtai
to Chenghua (Figure 56) and Tianshun to Chenghua
(K1528, K1536, K2066). Other blue and white wares were
dated from early-Ming/mid-Ming periods (1457–1521).
These were from Tianshun to Hongzhi/Zhengde and
included K1526, K1531, K1534–5, K2484 (Figure 57).
The earliest of these were dated from Zhengtong to
Figure 59. Bowl, degraded green and red enamelled flowers on Jingtai. They may, however, have been produced before
inside wall and figures in various postures on outer
wall, diameter 17.9 cm, Mid-Ming Dynasty possibly this because Chinese porcelain was sent from the Ryuku
Zhengde emperor, 1488–1566, from the Musi River, islands to Palembang in 1428, 1429 and 1430, during the
Sungai Guci site. Catalogue No. K2068. Xuande emperor reign (Miksic 2009).
The ban on Chinese export porcelain continued to the
start of the mid-Ming period. However, it seemingly had
little impact on Palembang trade because a large number
of blue-and-white ware was found in the Musi which we
dated to the reigns of: i) Hongzhi, including plates K1455

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