Ceramic - China - Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)

South-East Asian Miniature Stoneware Pot - Martaban style (ca. 1600)

A miniature buff-coloured stoneware pot, probably a 'medicine' or 'oil' vessel from Southeast Asian trading networks. The piece has a striking oval body with a short, tapering neck and a softly flaring foot rim. It is decorated with iron-brown underglaze or slip spots in a rhythmic, repeating pattern. The turn marks are clearly visible on the lower body, indicating hand-turned production on a wheel, characteristic of regional kiln locations from the late Ming period.

Surface
Matte, unmatted or thin salt-glazed coloured stoneware body; The iron oxide spots show a pale 'burnt metal' sheen where the mineral has concentrated.

Pot 1
Height 7.5
Width 11.4 cm

Pot 2
Height 7.5 cm
Width 10.5 cm

A thickly glazed provincial Chinese blue-and-white 'mingyao' (folk kiln) bowl, probably originating from southern Chinese kilns in Fujian or Guangdong provinces. The most striking feature indicating the production method is the clear unglazed 'biscuit' stacking ring in the middle inside, with iron-oxide stains. This allowed multiple bowls to be stacked directly in the kiln without fusing, a hallmark of commercial production at large scale. The exterior shows rapid, expressionistic cobalt underglaze decoration, applied with a shallow but confident brushstroke. The base is deeply recessed and fully unglazed, revealing a gritty buff-gray body with a pronounced central ring or 'nipple'—the distinctive sign of a rope-cut removal from the potter's wheel.

St**ate**
Visually consistent with 'light wear' from use, although the most noticeable surface variations (gritty foot, inner biscuit ring, asymmetrical potting) are original at production. A microscopic frit or small chip is visible on the rim, typical of daily use for centuries.

Kom 1
Height 4.5 cm
Width 12.3 cm

A provincial buff stoneware bowl, thickly potted with a slightly flared, subtly lobed rim. Coated with an opaque gray-white ashy glaze that stops just before the foot. The surface shows characteristic iron specks and firing holes typical of regional reduction-fired ovens. The unglazed foot ring is wide, revealing a coarse buff-gray clay with clear concentric ring lines and spiral crimp marks at the center — features of quick, vernacular production. Rim fritting and small chips reveal an oxidized stoneware interior that attests to considerable age.

Staat
Shows honest wear appropriate to its period of use. Notable fritting and a clear rim loss reveal the oxidized clay body. Deep embedded ground on the unglazed foot ring. No visible hairline cracks spreading from the rim.

Kom 2
Height 5 cm
Width 14 cm