southeast asian ceramics: new light on old pottery

edited by

John N

Miksic

edited by John N Miksic

Southeast Asian Ceramics N

ew Light on O

ld Pottery

Southeast Asian CeramicsNew Light on Old Pottery

The Southeast Asian Ceramic Society of Singapore is to be congratulated not only for this splendid survey book which reviews the state

of Southeast Asian ceramic studies, but much more for what the Society itself represents, forty years of pioneering initiatives in this fi eld.

~ John Guy, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Singapore’s Southeast Asian Ceramic Society has pioneered in shaping exhibitions and catalogues designed to convey the newest perspectives on ceramics

in Southeast Asia. Now it takes the lead again, to sum up the developments of the last four decades–and suggest where research should head next.

~ Louise Cort, ceramic historian

On the occasion of the exhibition of the same title Southeast Asian Ceramics: New Light on Old Pottery14 November 2009–25 July 2010

CO-ORGANISED BY

4th Proof Title: DEM_SEA Ceramics Job No: CD1009-25/3173

Since the founding of the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society (SEACS) of Singapore in 1969, archaeological research on ceramics in Southeast Asia has developed signifi cantly. Southeast Asian Ceramics: New Light on Old Pottery and the accompanying exhibition endeavour to chart that evolution. It illustrates the fundamental role played by the SEACS and its members in stimulating this progress.

Chapter One traces the founding of the SEACS and the pivotal role played by its founder, William Willetts, in establishing the study of Southeast Asian ceramics as a legitimate fi eld of research in Singapore. The contributions of his student Roxanna M Brown, who sadly passed away in 2008, to the study of Southeast Asian ceramics are examined in Chapter Two. The publication in 1977 (2nd edition 1988) of her book, The Ceramics of South-East Asia: Their Dating and Identifi cation, was deemed by many the fi rst textbook of its kind. Southeast Asian Ceramics: New Light on Old Pottery hopes to complement Roxanna’s book by considering other developments in the fi eld since—the role of maritime archaeology in advancing the state of knowledge of Southeast Asian ceramics (Chapter Three), and the contributions made by land-based archaeologists through the discovery of kilns and production sites (Chapter Four). Finally, Chapter Five covers the study of ancient ceramic trade, both within the region and with its neighbours, of which the most important centre for ceramic production is China. The book, comprising 176 full-colour pages, contains a catalogue devoted to artefacts that were presented at the aforementioned exhibition, making this book an invaluable source of reference for scholars and ceramic connoisseurs as well as members of the public.

Southeast Asian Ceramics: New Light on Old Pottery accompanies the exhibition of the same name, held at the National University of Singapore Museum. In this present volume, notable archaeologist and scholar John N Miksic reconstructs a vivid image of the development of Southeast Asia’s unique ceramic technology. Along with three contributing authors—Pamela M Watkins, Dawn F Rooney and Michael Flecker—he summarises the fruits of the research of the last 40 years, beginning with the founding of the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society in Singapore in 1969. The result is a comprehensive and insightful overview of the technology, aesthetics and organisation, both economic and political, of seemingly diverse territories in pre-colonial Southeast Asia.

Southeast Asian Ceramics: New Light on Old Pottery is essential reading not only for those with an interest in the economic history of the region, but for all who seek a better understanding of the brilliant but too often underestimated material culture of our forefathers.

John N Miksic was born in 1946 in upstate New York. He received a PhD from Cornell University in 1979. His dissertation was on Archaeology, Trade and Society in Northeast Sumatra. Miksic was a Peace Corps Volunteer, Malaysia, between 1968 and 1972; a Regional Development Advisor, Bengkulu, between 1979 and 1981; a Project Specialist in archaeology, Gadjah Mada University and Asian Cultural Council between 1981 and 1987. Miksic has been a Lecturer with the National University of Singapore since 1987. His previous books include Historical Dictionary of Ancient Southeast Asia, Old Javanese Gold, Borobudur: Golden Tales of the Buddhas and Icons of Art: National Museum Jakarta.

Michael Flecker was born in Australia in 1962. Flecker received a PhD from the National University of Singapore in 2001. His dissertation was on The Archaeological Excavation of the 10th Century Intan Shipwreck. In 1992, Flecker established the company Maritime Explorations and went on to direct the excavation of the c.1690 Vung Tau Wreck, the c.1608 Binh Thuan Wreck, the 15th-century Bakau Wreck, the 13th-century Java Sea Wreck, the 10th-century Intan Wreck and the 9th-century Belitung Wreck, among others. He co-authored Porcelain from the Vung Tau Wreck: the Hallstrom Excavation.

Dawn F Rooney, an independent scholar and an art historian, specialises in the culture of Southeast Asia. Her books include four titles on ceramics of the region (all published by Oxford University Press); Betel Chewing Traditions in South-East Asia; Angkor: Cambodia’s Wondrous Temples (Odyssey Guides); Angkor Observed (Orchid Press); Thai Buddhas; and Ancient Sukhothai: Thailand’s Cultural Heritage (River Books). She is an American and resides in Thailand.

Pamela M Watkins, by profession a (retired) simultaneous interpreter, is a long time resident of Singapore and Jakarta. Her interest in Southeast Asian and Chinese ceramics was inspired by William Willetts in 1967–1969 through his encouragement, his lectures and some rather unconventional, joint shopping expeditions.

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Contents

Foreword 6

Preface 7

Major Ancient Shipwreck Sites of Southeast Asia & Chinese Export Kilns 8

Kilns of Mainland Southeast Asia 9

Timeline 10

Introduction: The SEACS and the NUS Museum 12

- John N Miksic

1 New Light On Old Pottery: The Founding of SEACS 20

- Pamela M Watkins

2 The Contributions of Roxanna Brown to the Study 26

of Southeast Asian Ceramics - Dawn F Rooney

3 Maritime Archaeology in Southeast Asia 34

- Michael Flecker

4 Kilns of Southeast Asia 48

- John N Miksic

5 Research on Ceramic Trade, within Southeast Asia and 70

between Southeast Asia and China - John N Miksic

Catalogue 100

- John N Miksic and Natalie SY Ong

Major Publications of Roxanna M Brown/Bibliography 166

Index 174

SEACS Council/Presidents/Exhibitions/Publications/ 176

Acknowledgements & Credits



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Southeast Asian Ceramics New Light on Old Pottery

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In the early 1990s, the Faculty of Business of NUS moved to new premises. The

University then allocated the top fl oor of the Faculty of Business’ former classrooms, AS6,

for the display of the Lee Kong Chian Collection. Mr Lu Yaw, who had been curator of the

collection while it was on display at NTI, moved to NUS in the same capacity.

The NUS Museum was established in 1997 “to manage and develop the University’s

collections”. The then-President of the University, Shih Choon Fong, described this as “a

proud moment for NUS”. He noted that the collection’s history was venerable, but also

“circuitous”, and that it had spent much of its existence in storage and therefore invisible.

He expressed his confi dence that “the South and South East Asian Gallery […] will fulfi ll

its role in the best of University Museum traditions by addressing museological issues

astutely and charting strategies for change, renewal and enterprise” (Shih 2002: 7).

The NUS Museum’s South and South East Asian Gallery was inaugurated in 2002.

This development has made it possible for SEACS to resume its relationship with an

institution of higher learning, which was at the root of the Society’s founding 40 years

earlier. It is hoped that this reunion will lead to further contributions to the study of the art

of ceramics in Southeast Asia.

this page (from top):

Jar, brown glazeMaenam Noi kilns15th CH:15 cmNUS Museum S2003-0022-006-0Ovoid shape with two lugs with no discernible decoration.

below (from left):

Archaeological fi nd (Thrown dish on rock base)Ng Eng Teng, SingaporeH: 11 cm, W: 15 cm, L: 15 cmNUS Museum S1997-0001-743-0Inspired by the archaeological excavations at Fort Canning, Singapore, in which the sculptor took part, this piece and the following two are contemporary interpretations of the ceramic fi nds that were uncovered. Donated in 1997.

Archaeology-inspired pot (III)Ng Eng Teng, SingaporeH: 17 cm, W: 21.2 cm, L: 21.2 cmNUS Museum S2001-0001-009-0Donated in 2001.

Archaeology-inspired pot (II)Ng Eng Teng, SingaporeH: 9.5 cm, W: 16.6 cm, L: 16.6 cmNUS Museum S2001-0001-008-0Donated in 2001.

opposite:

Kalong kiln wastersThailandUnknownVarious sitesPrivate CollectionVarious jarlets and dishes. (Cf. Young et al 1982: 166–167 pl 209)


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Research on Ceramic Trade, within Southeast Asia and between Southeast Asia and China- John N Miksic

When the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society (SEACS) was formed in 1969, not a single shipwreck had been properly excavated in Southeast Asia.

In the past 40 years, maritime archaeology has yielded incredible treasures on the bottom of the South China and Java seas. During the same period, much has also been learned about ceramics as trade commodities from excavations on land in Sumatra, Java, the Philippines and Singapore. Historical and archaeological data indicate that trade in ceramics was not an important activity until the 9th century. Thereafter, Chinese ceramics became an important commodity in maritime trade.

Beginning in the early 9th century, the Southeast Asian market formed a major stimulus for Chinese ceramic production, mainly focused in southeast China near ports which enjoyed easy access to customers across the South China Sea. When Chinese exports were interrupted by episodes of internal political turmoil in the 15th and 17th centuries, other producers in Vietnam, Thailand and Japan stepped in to fill the gap. Eventually, Chinese ceramics became so cheap and ubiquitous that they drove Southeast Asian pottery out of most markets.

5

left:Oc-Eo storage jar, mouth and shoulder (detail) (see page 73)

opposite:Dish, white ware with green-splashed décor (see page 73)

The oldest evidence for the importation of foreign ceramics to Southeast Asia comes from Khao Sam Kaeo in south Thailand, where Chinese earthenware from the western Han period (1st and 2nd centuries) has been found (Bellina-Pryce & Silapanth 2006: 278). At this time southern China was inhabited by the so-called Yue people rather than Chinese. The area of modern Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and Vietnam then formed a cultural frontier between China and Southeast Asia. In the late centuries before Christ, the Hanoi region, a centre of indigenous political power, was already an important trading link between the Chinese and the people of what is now Indonesia; the lure of the wealth of the “Southern Ocean” thus became one of the motives of the first emperor, Qin Shih Huang, for conquering the vast realm south of the Yangzi.

How these sherds of Chinese earthenware reached the Malay Peninsula is not known. No other Chinese artefacts of this period have yet been discovered south of China. It has been claimed that Chinese ceramics of the Han dynasty in the Museum Nasional Jakarta were unearthed in Sumatra and Kalimantan, but no archaeological evidence of such trade in Indonesia has yet been discovered (Guy 1990: 2).






TB

Abu Ridho’s report, and personal communication from Susan Naranjo of the National Museum, Manila, and the Philippine maritime archaeologist Mary-Jane Bolunia, confirm that similar ceramics also reached the Butuan area of Mindanao. Some examples, probably excavated in the Philippines, are found in the collections of the National Museum, Manila, and in private collections (Guérin & van Oenen 2005: 164).

The final proof that these Fine Paste Wares of the 13th and 14th centuries were made in southern Thailand was supplied by the research of the Thai archaeologist Amara Srisuchat at the Pa-O site, near Satingphra. She identified several kilns where this ware was produced as early as the 12th century (Srisuchat 2003). Her analysis was supported by chemical analyses of the ceramics from the kiln. This type of analysis is time-consuming and requires specialised equipment. Further research of this type will be needed to clarify the role of earthenware pottery trade in early Southeast Asia’s economy.

Vietnamese Export CeramicsGood relations existed between Vietnam and Java in 1365, according to the Javanese text “Nagarakrtagama”. Vietnam is described as “a good friend, different” in comparison with the “Tatar men” (the Javanese term for the Mongols) who then ruled China; no doubt the Javanese remembered clearly the Mongol invasion 73 years which had taken place 73 years earlier. Vietnamese commercial relations with the Malays and Javanese may have begun before the Han conquest of north Vietnam. A special zone for traders from Indonesia and Siam was established on Van Don Island in Along Bay, off the mouth of the Red River, in 1149; it was closed in 1485 (Taylor 1982: 21). This commercial relationship predated the trade in ceramics, but it provided a convenient channel when in the late 14th-century Chinese pottery was suddenly difficult to obtain.

this page (from left):

Chinese ceramics found at Trowulan, east Java (wall tile)

a. Cizhou, China14th CL: 13 cm, H: 3.5 cmACM HC SEA 013Hexagonal or octagonal form; décor in iron-black underglaze with green tinge; border of classic scrolls; central motif of leaf scrolls; interior and exterior edges unglazed.

b. Cizhou, China14th CL: 10 cm, H: 3.3 cmACM HC SEA 012Hexagonal or octagonal form; décor of classic scrolls and an indistinct central motif in very thick and black underglaze; linear border following contours of form; interior and exterior edges unglazed.

The Cirebon shipwreck also carried many examples of this type of ware. This ship, off the north coast of west Java, sank in the late 10th or possibly at the beginning of the 11th century. The cargo included 35,819 pieces of earthenware, as well as 256,943 Chinese ceramics (Bambang Budi Utomo 2008: 35). Among the earthenwares are a wide variety of kendis of the Fine Paste Ware type (ibid.: 49–52 illustrations).

A similar finding was made in the case of the Java Sea shipwreck of the late 13th century. Hundreds of Fine Paste earthenware kendis and bottles of probable Peninsular Thai origin indicate that the ship voyaged from China to the Patani area of south Thailand to Sumatra, and was on its way to Java when it sank. The Fine Paste Ware bears a general resemblance to ob jects associated with the area of Patani in south Thailand. Several shapes of Fine Paste Ware kendis in this cargo had never been seen before, in particular kendis in the form of circular tubes with a spout, a neck and a foot. Previously only Chinese versions of this form were known (see for example Yuan-period qingbai versions made in Jingdezhen and found in the Philippines; Oriental Ceramic Society of the Philippines 1993: 76–77 pl 32, 34).

Several excellent examples of this ware were published in a volume devoted to the trade ceramics found on Tioman Island, off the southeast coast of Peninsular Malaysia (Southeast Asian Ceramic Society [West Malaysian Chapter] 1985: 143 pl 378–384). Other excellent examples found in private and public collections in Indonesia are attributed provenances in east Java in general, and in many cases specifically to Tuban, the port of 14th-century Majapahit. The ceramic expert and curator of the Indonesian National Museum came to the conclusion that these were probably made in southern Thailand (Abu Ridho 1985).

opposite:

Pouring vessel (kendi)Jingdezhen14th centuryD: 12 cm, H: 16.3 cmACM HC SEA 020Depressed globular shape; a narrow neck with a moulded ring near collar fl aring outwards to a wide, broken mouth; spout missing; décor in blue underglaze divided into six registers; at neck, seven upright plantain leaves, followed by a band of four-petaled fl owers; a lotus petal collar; at shoulder, a frieze of lotus panels; fl oral and vegetal scrolls around body; on the lower body, lotus panels; and circular bands around foot; interior of vessel and base interior with thick white glaze. (Comparable example from the Philippines: Gotuaco, Tan & Diem 1997: 54 pl Y19.)

a.

b.





Rese

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Although Roxanna Brown postulated a starting date for Vietnamese export of ceramics as early as the late 13th century (Brown 1977: 14), 14th-century sites such as Fort Canning lack any examples, whereas 15th-century sites such as Empress Place do yield remains of this ware. A famous cobalt blue decorated vase made in Vietnam bearing a date of 1450, which at some point reached the Topkapı Sarayı Müzesi in Istanbul indicates the range over which Vietnamese pottery travelled. Other examples have been found at points as far apart as Fostat, Egypt (ibid.: 20), eastern Indonesia, and, much closer to home, at Sukhothai in Thailand (ibid.: 25 footnote 20). The Portuguese author Tomé Pires in 1515 observed that at Tonkin was “porcelain and pottery—some of great value” (Cortesao 1944: I, 115).

Vietnamese wares, as noted by Michael Flecker in Chapter Three, have been found on many shipwrecks of the 15th century. Brown detected two different phases during which Vietnamese ceramics were exported in large quantities: the early Ming reigns of Hongwu and Yongle (1368–1424) and the Hongzi reign up to the Portuguese conquest of Melaka (1470–1510) (Brown 2004: 7). On land, Vietnamese sherds have been reported from a large number of sites of the 15th and 16th centuries, including Palembang, Lampung, Jambi, Trowulan, Singapore, Riau and Mandar (Sulawesi). John Guy, in the SEACS’s 1982 catalogue, published monochrome and blue and white Vietnamese pieces from Sumba, and a blue and white candleholder from south Kalimantan. Guy’s Gazetteer (1987), a useful publication in need of an update (which was partially accomplished in the form of a map in Guy 1997: 48), lists 19 sites altogether in Indonesia and Malaysia (subsequently increased to 25 in 1997) with Vietnamese ceramics of the 15th and 16th centuries.

In the Philippines, Vietnamese ceramics comprise only 2–4 per cent of foreign ceramics of the 15th–16th centuries, whereas Thai ware of the same period comprises 20–40 per cent (Brown 1977: 27). Nevertheless, some very good individual Vietnamese pieces are found in Filipino collections, such as a carved display stand reportedly found in Mindanao (Diem 1997: 194, fig V7; a fragment of a similar object was found in the Rajah collection from Trowulan). Some fragments of Vietnamese ware were discovered in an archaeological excavation in Manila (Alba 1994: 5). John Guy’s Gazetteer lists further sites in the Philippines at Oton (Panay) and Fort San Pedro (Cebu City) (1987: 28, 33). In

east Java, by contrast, Vietnamese artefacts outnumber Thai, though no quantitative data is available from any sites there. The “Nagarakrtagama” mentions merchants came to Java from Annam and Siam, as well as India, Cambodia and China.

Discoveries at the site of Majapahit’s capital in east Java, Trowulan, include many varieties of Vietnamese ceramics. In addition to containers, which may have been made for general markets, some artefacts were made specifically for the east Javanese court. The Masjid Agung in Demak, north coastal Java, when examined by Abu Ridho in 1982, was decorated with about 60 15th-century porcelain tiles decorated with cobalt blue. The Menara Kudus in the same general area also had one such tile over a gateway in the 1980s; another was found mounted on the wall of the tomb of Sunan Bonang in Tuban, the port of Majapahit (Dupoizat & Harkantiningsih 2007: 101). According to legend, the builders of these early Muslim shrines came from the court of Majapahit after it was conquered by Islamic forces (Abu Ridho 1982: 36). This is almost certainly apocryphal, but it is quite possible that these tiles were reused from pre-Islamic sites.






TB

this page (clockwise from top left):

Incense burner (honey pot?)Cambodia12th–13th C, Bayon typeH: 9.8 cm, D: 14.9 cmNUS Museum S1970-0051-001-0“In the form of a fl attened globular jar upon a cup-stand; the jar with two moulded circular decorative bands on the neck, and two incised scalloped bands on the shoulder; all covered with a mottled dark-brown, tenmoku-type glaze, much abraded at the turning-points; the foot fl at and crudely thrown, and the body with a light-grey, granular, and much pitted biscuit. Acquired at Siem-réap and stated to have been found in the north moat at Angkor Thom. It must therefore post-date, if only by a few years, the digging of the moat about 1190 AD.” (Willetts 1971: pl 8; see also Brown 2002a: 85)

Sculpture of a pig, brown-glazedCambodia11th–13th CH: 14.8 cm, L: 17 cm, W: 9 cmNUS Museum S2003-0001-045-0Moulded tusks, incised pendant around neck, monkey stopper (?) with glossy glaze; moulded incised bristles on back; matt glaze; legs belly unglazed; buff-coloured body; lie-de-vin slip. (Brown classifi es similar forms as “limepots”, see Brown 1988: pl XVld, XXc, XXld and 29c.)

Water containerKhmer (?)UnknownH: 31.8 cm, D: 30 cm, L: 37 cmPrivate CollectionHigh-fi red terracotta; unglazed globular shape with a wide mouth and thick fl at lip; an elephantine spout.

opposite:

Horse’s head, brown earthenwareCambodia11th–13th CH: 8 cm, L: 6.8 cm, W: 3.6 cmNUS Museum S2003-001-021-0Possibly once attached to a pot; lidded pots with attached heads in such animal shapes as roosters and ducks; diamond décor on forehead; decorative pendants on chest; caparison; incised reins; broken right ear. Not previously published. Donated by Dr Peter Lu.





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this page (from left):

Jar, octagonal, blue and white with overglaze enamelsBat Trang kilns17th–18th CH: 34 cm, D: 27 cmNUS Museum S1980-0001-001-0Tall octagonal jar with eight handles disposed around shoulder; neck decorated with lotus panels in blue underglaze; multicoloured overglaze enamel of two dragons, with pearl and eight auspicious objects on a background of cloud and wave motifs; near foot, fl oral scrolls in blue underglaze. (See also Brown 2002a: 58)

Jar, blue and white with dragon and fl oral decorationVietnam17th CH: 35 cm, D: 29 cmNUS Museum NU30007-0Jar with four handles with moulded fl orettes; around upper half of the body, dragon motif is painted in cobalt blue underglaze; lower body consists of vegetal scroll motif; both halves separated by double painted lines. Previously from the Nantah Collection.

opposite:

Polychrome plate with tigerVietnam15th–16th CH: 9.5 cm, D: 41.5 cmPrivate CollectionDecorated in underglaze blue with red and green enamel; a tiger on centre medallion surrounded by cloud motifs and a circular border of scallop motifs; on cavetto, six ogival panels of fl ower blooms on a wave background; on rim, frieze of a diaper pattern. (Compare Brown 1988: pl IXD) Previously from Sinclair Collection, Muzium Seni Asia, Universiti Malaya.

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Plates, part of a complete set of dinnerwareJingdezhen, China19th–20th CWhite ground enamelled porcelain with a pair of pheasants amidst rocks and peonies, the rim decorated with the Eight Auspicious Symbols, the reverse decorated with four fl owering sprays; Daoguang mark on the base.

a. H: 4 cm, D: 24 cmNUS Museum B2008-0105-001-0

b. H: 3 cm, D: 20 cmNUS Museum B2008-0105-005-0

c. H: 3 cm, D: 15.5 cmNUS Museum B2008-0105-009-0

d. H: 3 cm, D: 11.5 cmNUS Museum B2008-0090-001-0

e. H: 2.5 cm, D: 9.2 cmNUS Museum B2008-0090-008-0

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edited by

John N

Miksic

edited by John N Miksic

Southeast Asian Ceramics N

ew Light on O

ld Pottery

Southeast Asian CeramicsNew Light on Old Pottery

The Southeast Asian Ceramic Society of Singapore is to be congratulated not only for this splendid survey book which reviews the state

of Southeast Asian ceramic studies, but much more for what the Society itself represents, forty years of pioneering initiatives in this fi eld.

~ John Guy, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Singapore’s Southeast Asian Ceramic Society has pioneered in shaping exhibitions and catalogues designed to convey the newest perspectives on ceramics

in Southeast Asia. Now it takes the lead again, to sum up the developments of the last four decades–and suggest where research should head next.

~ Louise Cort, ceramic historian

On the occasion of the exhibition of the same title Southeast Asian Ceramics: New Light on Old Pottery14 November 2009–25 July 2010

CO-ORGANISED BY

4th Proof Title: DEM_SEA Ceramics Job No: CD1009-25/3173

Since the founding of the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society (SEACS) of Singapore in 1969, archaeological research on ceramics in Southeast Asia has developed signifi cantly. Southeast Asian Ceramics: New Light on Old Pottery and the accompanying exhibition endeavour to chart that evolution. It illustrates the fundamental role played by the SEACS and its members in stimulating this progress.

Chapter One traces the founding of the SEACS and the pivotal role played by its founder, William Willetts, in establishing the study of Southeast Asian ceramics as a legitimate fi eld of research in Singapore. The contributions of his student Roxanna M Brown, who sadly passed away in 2008, to the study of Southeast Asian ceramics are examined in Chapter Two. The publication in 1977 (2nd edition 1988) of her book, The Ceramics of South-East Asia: Their Dating and Identifi cation, was deemed by many the fi rst textbook of its kind. Southeast Asian Ceramics: New Light on Old Pottery hopes to complement Roxanna’s book by considering other developments in the fi eld since—the role of maritime archaeology in advancing the state of knowledge of Southeast Asian ceramics (Chapter Three), and the contributions made by land-based archaeologists through the discovery of kilns and production sites (Chapter Four). Finally, Chapter Five covers the study of ancient ceramic trade, both within the region and with its neighbours, of which the most important centre for ceramic production is China. The book, comprising 176 full-colour pages, contains a catalogue devoted to artefacts that were presented at the aforementioned exhibition, making this book an invaluable source of reference for scholars and ceramic connoisseurs as well as members of the public.

Southeast Asian Ceramics: New Light on Old Pottery accompanies the exhibition of the same name, held at the National University of Singapore Museum. In this present volume, notable archaeologist and scholar John N Miksic reconstructs a vivid image of the development of Southeast Asia’s unique ceramic technology. Along with three contributing authors—Pamela M Watkins, Dawn F Rooney and Michael Flecker—he summarises the fruits of the research of the last 40 years, beginning with the founding of the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society in Singapore in 1969. The result is a comprehensive and insightful overview of the technology, aesthetics and organisation, both economic and political, of seemingly diverse territories in pre-colonial Southeast Asia.

Southeast Asian Ceramics: New Light on Old Pottery is essential reading not only for those with an interest in the economic history of the region, but for all who seek a better understanding of the brilliant but too often underestimated material culture of our forefathers.

John N Miksic was born in 1946 in upstate New York. He received a PhD from Cornell University in 1979. His dissertation was on Archaeology, Trade and Society in Northeast Sumatra. Miksic was a Peace Corps Volunteer, Malaysia, between 1968 and 1972; a Regional Development Advisor, Bengkulu, between 1979 and 1981; a Project Specialist in archaeology, Gadjah Mada University and Asian Cultural Council between 1981 and 1987. Miksic has been a Lecturer with the National University of Singapore since 1987. His previous books include Historical Dictionary of Ancient Southeast Asia, Old Javanese Gold, Borobudur: Golden Tales of the Buddhas and Icons of Art: National Museum Jakarta.

Michael Flecker was born in Australia in 1962. Flecker received a PhD from the National University of Singapore in 2001. His dissertation was on The Archaeological Excavation of the 10th Century Intan Shipwreck. In 1992, Flecker established the company Maritime Explorations and went on to direct the excavation of the c.1690 Vung Tau Wreck, the c.1608 Binh Thuan Wreck, the 15th-century Bakau Wreck, the 13th-century Java Sea Wreck, the 10th-century Intan Wreck and the 9th-century Belitung Wreck, among others. He co-authored Porcelain from the Vung Tau Wreck: the Hallstrom Excavation.

Dawn F Rooney, an independent scholar and an art historian, specialises in the culture of Southeast Asia. Her books include four titles on ceramics of the region (all published by Oxford University Press); Betel Chewing Traditions in South-East Asia; Angkor: Cambodia’s Wondrous Temples (Odyssey Guides); Angkor Observed (Orchid Press); Thai Buddhas; and Ancient Sukhothai: Thailand’s Cultural Heritage (River Books). She is an American and resides in Thailand.

Pamela M Watkins, by profession a (retired) simultaneous interpreter, is a long time resident of Singapore and Jakarta. Her interest in Southeast Asian and Chinese ceramics was inspired by William Willetts in 1967–1969 through his encouragement, his lectures and some rather unconventional, joint shopping expeditions.

SEA Ceramics jacketv11_.indd 1 10/10/09 2:06:12 PM

southeast asian ceramics: new light on old pottery

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