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The provenance of export porcelain from the Nan'ao One shipwreck in the South China Sea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 May 2016

Jian Zhu ,
Hongjiao Ma ,
Naisheng Li ,
Julian Henderson  and
Michael D. Glascock
Jian Zhu
Affiliation:
Department of Scientific History and Archaeometry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, P.R. China Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origin, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 142 Xizhimenwai Street, Beijing 100044, P.R. China
Hongjiao Ma
Affiliation:
Institute for Cultural Heritage and History of Science & Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
Naisheng Li
Affiliation:
Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage, 2 Gaoyuan Street, Beisihuan donglu, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
Julian Henderson
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Michael D. Glascock*
Affiliation:
Research Reactor Center, University of Missouri, 1513 Research Park Drive, Columbia, MO 65211, USA (Email: [email protected])
*
*Author for correspondence
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Abstract

The discovery of the Nan'ao One shipwreck off the southern coast of China throws new light onto Chinese maritime trade during the late Ming period. The primary cargo was a massive consignment of blue-and-white export porcelain, most probably destined for markets in Southeast Asia or Europe. Compositional analysis was performed on 11 fragments of blue-and-white export porcelain from the wreck site and on 64 samples from 3 Chinese porcelain production centres. The results indicate that the blue-and-white export porcelain recovered from the Nan'ao One came from two sources: the Jingdezhen and Zhangzhou kilns. Given the location of the shipwreck, the most probable destinations were the Portuguese trading centre at Macau or the Dutch at Batavia.

Keywords

ChinaMing dynastyshipwreckporcelaininternational trademultivariate analysisneutron activation analysiselemental analysis
Type
Research
Information
Antiquity , Volume 90 , Issue 351 , June 2016 , pp. 798 - 808
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd, 2016 

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