15th Century Vietnamese Ceramics
In the mid 15th C a freighting
junk loaded with fine Vietnamese pottery sank in an area of
the South China Sea called the “Dragon’s Embrace.” The ship
sunk in 70 meters of water near the port of Hoi An.
Around 1994 local fishermen began finding
pottery in their nets. The Vietnamese Government determined
that this was a significant find and engaged an
archeological salvage company to locate the ship and
retrieve the cargo.
Many thousands of pieces of pottery were
found – in fact, the greatest recovery of sunken treasure of
all time. The best pieces are in the museums of Vietnam. The
larger, fine pieces were auctioned in the world’s major
auction houses, in London, Paris, New York, San Francisco,
etc. Smaller domestic pieces were consigned to lesser
houses, including some in Canada,
Salvaged during the summers of 1998 – 1999
this find, known as the Hoi An Hoard, constitutes a major
contribution to the history of Asian ceramics. The ware is
presumed to have its origin in Vietnam’s Red River Delta at
the kilns of Hai Duong. The 14th and 15th centuries mark an
apex in Vietnamese culture.
During this period, Vietnam replaced China
as the predominant exporter of glazed ceramics to South East
Asia.
These salvaged pieces reflect the aesthetic sensibility and
the culture of medieval Vietnam.
