Chinese Song/Yuan Dynasty Bowls
£195.00
These 2 mollusc encrusted Song/Yuan Dynasty bowls were recovered from the cargo of a Chinese shipwreck in the Java Sea near Kalimantan, Indonesia.
Description
Chinese Song/Yuan Dynasty 13th/14th Century Bowls (a)
Diameter: 6.5 inches / 16.5cm
Height: 2.75 inches / 7cm
The bowls were immersed in the Java sea for centuries and their condition accordingly shows some barnacle encrustation and markings on the undersides. While the Silk Road had provided overland trade routes since ancient times, it was overtaken by a dramatic increase of maritime trade during the Song and Yuan dynasties – from the 10th to 14th centuries. At that time, Quanzhou in Fujian Province was considered the largest port in the world. The government actively encouraged and supported foreign trade. Merchant ships would set sail east to Japan, south to the Java sea, all around India, the Middle East, Africa and as far west as the Mediterranean.
