Ser. No. T-561
640 year old fish plate from the Turiang (c.1370) shipwreck. This plate is made at the Sukhothai kilns. It is painted with iron oxide on top of a 'slip' which was needed to cover the course clay. This clay shows white quartz crystals and was the only type of clay ever in use at Sukhothai. The condition of the plate is very good. Thick glaze covers the entire plate. The fish motif symbolizes long life. For more information about the shipwreck, please visit: Turiang shipwreck
Size: 24.5 cm in diameter
Shipping weight: 1.5 kilo
Ser. No. T-288
Totally intact 640 year old fish plate from the Turiang (c. 1370) shipwreck. This plate is made at the Sukhothai kilns. It is painted with iron oxide showing a fish (long life) on top of a slip layer. The overall impression of the plate is very good and it shows better contrast and glaze surface then most other fish plates in the Turiang cargo. Genuine Sukhothai underglaze plates are VERY RARE. For more information about the Turiang shipwreck, please visit: Turiang (AD. c. 1370) shipwreck Delivered with a Certificate of Authenticity
Size: 23.5 cm in diameter
Shipping weight: 1.5 kilo
These underglaze painted plates were made in Sukhothai and Sisatchanalai from a gritty clay that could not be painted. The potters therefore dipped the potted plate in a finer clay (slip) and then painted on top of this layer. After painting, the plate was again dipped in a more viscous clay that, when fired, become transparent and thereby protecting the painted motif for eternity. This technique (of painting 'below the glaze') was developed in northern China 1.500 years ago and was later applied in the production of the better known blue & white porcelains. To fully appreciate the importance of underglaze decorated wares, read (or download) Sten's article published in The Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society monograph: "Southeast Asia-China Interaction"
For more information about the underglaze pottery developments and the Turiang shipwreck which carried this type of historical pottery.
Ser. No. T-039
Size: 24.5 cm in diameter
Shipping weight: 1.5 kilo
Sten has spent more than forty years in Southeast Asia designing and engineering various marine structures. His interest in Asia's pottery and porcelain eventually lead to his search and excavation of numbers of ancient shipwrecks. As a championship sailor Sten has extensive knowledge and interest in ancient maritime trade, ships designs and construction. It is these interests and gained knowledge that is the base for all his books and extensive lecturing.
Sten's company; Nanhai Marine Archaeology Sdn. Bhd. works with Malaysia's Department of Museums and Antiquities and can therefore offer legally excavated artifacts from these shipwrecks.
In addition to working with recovering artifacts, Sten has located number of ancient kiln sites in Thailand and in China were his shipwreck ceramics was made centuries ago. He is therefore able to offer absolute provenance on all ceramics sold via Nanhai Marine Archaeology Sdn. Bhd. and, with good conscience sign every Certificate of Authenticity supplied with the artifacts.
The maritime archaeology of Sten Sjostrand has led to major advances in the study of Asian trade and trade ceramics in Southeast Asia. His meticulous documentation of a series of nine shipwrecks from the 11th to 19th centuries reveals the early dominance of Chinese trade ceramics, a subsequent loss of the Chinese monopoly in the late 14th century when Southeast Asian ceramics entered the market, the basic parameters of the Ming gap shortages of the 14th-15th centuries, and a resurgence of Chinese wares in the 16th and 17th centuries. Just as important, Sjostrand freely shares the information from his discoveries. Researchers are welcome at his headquarters where he documents his finds and patiently answers the queries of others. A lifetime’s experience with the sea and sailing allows Sjostrand to bring new understanding to ancient ship construction, and his voluminous reading allows him to set the ships and their cargoes in historical perspective.
Dr. Roxanna M. Brown
Director.
Southeast Asian Ceramics Museum
Bangkok University, Rangsit campus
Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand
Antique Asian pottery, old time pottery from
shipwrecks in the South China Sea
Ser. No. X-08
RARE covered box from the Xuande (AD. c.1540) shipwreck. This is one of the best covered box from the wreck site. It was made at the Sisachanalai kilns during its later underglaze production period. The lid is still fused to the body and has therefore remained unopened for 470 years! The decorations are nicely executed and the glaze condition is somewhat worn but with a smooth, warm feeling. For more information about the Xuande shipwreck
Size: 13 cm diameter
Shipping weight: 0.9 kilo
For additional information about the Xuande shipwreck and these boxes, see this web site and Oriental Art Magazine No. 2 (1997)
Ser. No. T-388 640 year old Fish plate
Good quality underglaze decorated fish plate from the Turiang (AD. 1370) shipwreck. The plate was made at the Sukhothai kilns by immigrating potters from Cizhou in northern China. The underglaze decoration in iron oxide shows a stylized fish motif typical of the 14th -15th century production at Sukhothai. The plate is in very good condition and partly covered by marine growth . The base shows the typical Sukhothai clay with white (quartz) impurities.
Size: 23.5 cm diameter
Shipping weight: 1.5 kilo
Ser. No. T- 573 640 year old Fish plate
Underglaze decorated fish plate from the Turiang (AD. 1370) shipwreck. The plate was made at the Sukhothai kilns by immigrating potters from Cizhou in northern China. The underglaze decoration in iron oxide shows a stylized fish motif typical of the 14th -15th century production at Sukhothai. The plate is only slighly deteriorated but otherwise intact. This is one of the very few fish plates were the fish is pointing to the right! The base of the plate shows the typical Sukhothai clay with white (quartz) impurities. For more information about the Turiang shipwreck Delivered with a Certificate of Authenticity
Size: 23.5 cm diameter
Shipping weight: 1.5 kilo
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When ordering from these pages you are dealing directly with a team of dedicated researchers that excavated, recovered and researched every single artifact offered for sale. We encourage you to contact our Sten Sjostrand with any questions which you may have
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If you are not satisfied with our artifacts, delivery service or; if you obtain an expert opinion
that a delivered item is not of the age stated by us, just return it and we will issue full refund.
See where these underglaze pieces were made centuries ago!
THE ONLY PLACE WHERE YOU CAN BE SURE TO BUY GENUINE ANTIQUES
Nanhai Marine Archaeology Sdn. Bhd. was incorporated on the recommendation of the Malaysian authorities. This was done in order to formalize and to expand on the company’s researcher’s extensive knowledge of Asia’s ceramic developments and maritime trade.
The company’s researchers have been engaged in the search for historical shipwrecks for more than two decades and another decade researching maritime trade. Most of this work is concentrated to the South China Sea, a virtual highway for ancient shipping linking China to India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia in an extensive maritime trade system. This ancient trade started sometime around the 4th century and lasted well into the 19th century.
Following a successful shipwreck discovery, the company obtain a government permit to excavate the wreckage, and then carry out detailed marine archaeological procedures in recovering the artifacts, mapping the ship's remains and securing other data for future research. After each concluded project and following conservation of recovered artifacts, we search for and pinpoint ruined kiln sites and compare its wasters with the recovered ceramics until we are satisfied we located the place in which the shipwreck pottery was made centuries earlier.
Our arrangement with the Malaysian authorities is such that we finance all operations and train young Malaysian nationals (on our initiative) in maritime archaeology and related research. After giving all unique and single artifacts and thirty percent of all recovered items to the National Museum (and assisting with exhibitions of artifacts from each project) we are allowed to sell our portion of the recovery to finance future projects. The findings from ongoing research and the compilation of reports, books and catalogues are available on these pages as well as on a separate Internet site: http://www.maritimeasia.ws
Due to the unquestionable authenticity and precisely dated shipwreck pottery, many International Museums now display our shipwreck pieces as reference material.
The artifacts sold on this website are therefore legally and properly excavated and can be supplied with an export permit from the Department of Museum in Malaysia should this be required. This unique working arrangement makes us one of the few Internet sellers that sell from own excavation and deliver a meaningful Certificate of Authenticity with every artifact issued with a serial number.
So, if you are interested to purchase some of our Antique porcelain, old time pottery or other shipwreck artifacts from the Song dynasty, Ming porcelain or Chinese blue and white porcelain or the famous Yixing teapots, you can rest assured that every piece is excavated through proper archaeology by our own staff. We do not sell anything that is not excavated by ourselves or properly recorded and researched before offered for sale so every piece comes with the “Best possible provenance”
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO EMAIL OUR PRINCIPAL RESEARCHER; Sten Sjostrand SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR POSSIBLE PURCHASE
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For additional information about the Turiang shipwreck, see "Turiang, A Fourteenth Century Shipwreck in Southeast Asian Waters". by Dr. Roxanna Brown & Sten Sjostrand. Published by Pacific Asia Museum Pasadena. (2000). For an online version, click here
For an online article about the historical importance of the Turiang underglaze painted wares, click here.
For additional information about the Turiang shipwreck, see "Turiang, A Fourteenth Century Shipwreck in Southeast Asian Waters". by Dr. Roxanna Brown & our own researcher: Sten Sjostrand. Published by Pacific Asia Museum Pasadena. (2000). For an online version, click here
For an online article about the historical importance of the Turiang underglaze painted wares, click here.
Antique Asian pottery and old time pottery from shipwrecks in the South China Sea
Nanhai Marine Archeology Sdn. Bhd.