Fujian Trade Ceramics in Jepara Shipwreck 　

From the early A.D 2000s, many celadon and white wares started to surface in the Jakarta antique market.  The sellers said they are shipwreck items from a wreck located about 34 km offshore from Jepara.  There is no systematic and scientific salvage operation to survey the site and recover the artifacts.  According to the article "The Jepara Wreck" written by Mr Atma Djuana and Edmund Edwards Mckinnon, some available reports indicated that the wreck was either broken in two or there was a smaller but contemporary wreck in the same area.  The area was strangely strewn with large boulders.   Among the artifacts surfaced in the Jakarta antique market, there was a stone anchor about 2.5 m in length.  According to the authors, a similar anchor was displayed at the Maritime Museum in Quanzhou.  Hence, suggesting that the ship may be  a Chinese Junk.  It is also suggested that the Junk sank as early as  A.D 1130. The latest copper coins recovered from the wreck that the authors have seen was from Zhonghe (重和), the last year of this reign mark being A.D 1118.  However, I have seen some later coins of Jian Yian (建炎）purportedly from this wreck.  The last year of Jian Yian reign is A.D 1130.  Personally, I believe the wreck could be later than A.D 1130, probably around A.D 1150/60.  The reason for my dating will be discussed below.  In any case, that would put the wreck in the Early Southern Song Period (A.D 1127 - 1279).

Quanzhou in Fujian Province was a cosmopolitan port known to Marco Polo as Zayton.  It was the largest seaport in Asia during the Song/Yuan period.  Many regions especially those located in the coastal areas in Fujian Province capitalised on their proximity to the Quanzhou port to produce export porcelains.   The bulk of the trade ceramics consisted of green wares (celadon), white/qingbai  and black/brown wares.

According to Song period Zhao Rugua's work "zhufanzhi" (A.D 1225) (赵汝适《诸番志》),  46 countries (including Annam, Cambodia, Srivijaya, Malay peninsula, Borneo, Java, Eastern Indies, the Philippines and even Zanzibar) were listed as  China's trading partners and the Yuan period "Daoyi zhilue" by Wang Dayan ( 汪大淵 《岛夷志略》 listed at least 58 countries.   

The map in the Quanzhou museum showing the maritime trade routes originating from Quanzhou is shown below.  Jepara is along the trade route but whether it was the destination of the ship which sank near there, is unable to ascertain.

Ceramics in Jepara wreck

Greenware (celadon)

In the wreck, there are large and smaller bowls with curved and combed/dotted decorations on the interior and vertical combed lines on the external wall.  This was commonly termed as Tongan type or Juko (shuko seiji) greenware (name after Juko (shuko) a Japanese monk tea ceremony master).  In fact, this was a continuation of the Longquan tradition.  Longquan kilns started producing such type around Mid/late Northern Song period.  Kamei Meitoku in his article "Chronology of Longquan wares of the Song and Yuan periods" classified them into 1st half of 12th century.  In fact, besides the Minan coastal region, Northern Fujian kilns also produced similar wares.  The colour tone of such wares varies from olive green, grayish green to different degree of yellow.  In comparison with the Longquan version, the quality was less refined and for most pieces the outer lower portion of the bowls were left unglazed.  For the Longquan version, only the outer base was left unglazed.

There are also  large number of celadon bowls with curved lotus motif.  They do not have any vertical combed lines on the external wall.   Such type was also copied from the Longquan kiln.  Kamei Meitoku dates them to 1st half /Mid 12th century and hence later than the type mentioned earlier.  There are also celadon bowl with more simplified lotus motif.  They have vertical combed lines on the external wall.  They are very similar to those found in the Putian and Fuqing kilns but it would not be surprising that other coastal kilns may have also produced them.  Another type of celadon found in large number is those curved with abstract cloud motif.  Kiln sherds from Lianjiang Pukou kiln showed similar type being produced.

In the wreck, there is also small quantity of higher quality celadon bowls with well-formed footring with the foot-wall  glazed.  This is very similar to that found on bowls in  Longquan.   Hence, in some available literature, they are attributed to longquan kiln.  For example, those big bowls with the wild goose motif were attributed to Anfu kiln in Longquan.  However, it may also be possible that they are products of Northern Fujian (Minbei) kilns as geographically they are not far from Longquan.  The bowls with paneled stylised motif (below 2nd photo) is classified by Kamei Meitoku into 2nd half of 12th Century.  

White/Qingbai wares

The Jepara wreck also carried a substantial quantity of white/qingbai wares.  There are  shallow bowls which are plain or with curved abstract/floral motif.  Large quantity of different sizes cover boxes with impressed floral/abstract motif or plain without motif were also recovered from the wreck. Both type of wares were excavated in the late Northern Song Level of the oldest dehua kiln at Wanpinglun (盖德碗坪崙）.  There are kendis and vases (some with floral-shaped mouth) and small quantity of vases with iron black floral motif.   They resemble those dated to the Southern Song level in Wanpinglun. 

Qingbai ewers and bowls with curved waves/floral/abstract motif were also found in the wreck.  They are most likely products from other Fujian kilns.

Brown wares

In this category, there are dark brown glaze kendis and celadon glaze kendis with brown abstract motif.  The kendis are most likely product from the Cizao kiln in Quanzhou.  

Dating of the wares

The presence of greenwares and Dehua white wares which based on archaeological evidence are dated to Southern Song indicates that the Jepara wreck is of that period.  However, the  simultaneous presence of wares which shows characteristics of late Northern Song suggested that the wreck should be in the earlier part of Southern Song.  This is possible and not unusual.  In any production, earlier products may continue to be produced for a short period while new products were introduced.  The presence of the Jianyan copper coins means that the wreck is dated later than A.D 1130.  During the late Northern Song phase, more of the green bowl has vertical combed lines on the outer wall and more dense combed/curved motif on the interior.  In the Jepara cargo, most of them have plain outer wall and more sparse inner decoration.  This is more in line with A.D 1150s dating in Kamei Meitoku chronology of the Longquan/Longquan-type greenwares.  The  presence of small quantity of celadon bowls with paneled stylised motif (classified as 2nd half of 12th century by Kamei Meitoku) further suggest they are newer products introduced.  Hence, they may be from earlier part of 2nd half 12th century.  This pushed  the Jepara cargo to a slightly later, ie around A.D 1160 is also a possibility.

Wiitten by: NK Koh (20 Mar 2010)

References:

1. The Jepara Wreck by Atma Djuana and Edmund Edwards Mckinnon

2. Chronology of Longquan Wares of the Song and Yuan Period by Kamei Meitoku.  Article published in the book "New Light on Chinese Yue and Longquan wares" edited by Chumei Ho.

3. 福建陶瓷考古概论　（曾凡著）

4. 德化窑 published by Dehua Museum