Jarlet with squat ovoid shape

Description

Maritime trade between Southeast Asia and China was well established by the third 3rd century BCE, many centuries before European and merchants arrived in the early 16thsixteenth century. In this region, early summer monsoon winds promised vessels easy voyage from the southwest, and fall winds brought them back to the originalted ports. There was also an abundance of timber suitable for shipbuilding, and many small harbors provided ideal spots for coasting by small vessels. One of the most important trade commodities wasere ceramics from China, which were exchanged for spices, plants, timbers, minerals, pearls, and sea products. As demand for Chinese ceramics increased in the 14thfourteenth century, Thai and Vietnamese kilns began to produce less expensive trade ceramics. These two jarlets were made in Vietnam for markets in the southern islands (modern Philippines and Indonesia) to store oils. Imported stonewares such as these were often buried with the dead.
(Label for UMMA South and Southest Asia Gallery Opening Rotation, March 2009)