WATER VESSEL

A globular container to hold liquid, this piece has a dark brown glaze on yellowish background, typical for stoneware from Changsa, China. It has a short spout, and a handle in form of a lizard, gracefully meandering down to the bottom of the container. Such pieces have been found on a number of islands such as Sumatra and Java, and scattered in the archipelago. More often than not, they were discovered in the vicinity, or adjacent to, religious sites. But in terms of numbers, they used to be considered rare. Recently, however, a large quantity has been recovered from a ship wreck near Belitung, Sumatra. This indicates that such containers entered Indonesia as a trading commodity.