CK Antiques House

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Small Medicine Bottles

description: These small medicine bottles discoverd at Melaka River and reclaimation developments projects adjacent seafront of Straits of Malacca which are about more than 100 years old. Some bottles are used for minyak angin (literally translated as "Oil for Wind") medicine for nauses, colds, headaches and stomach-aches. Whereas some are for chinese medicines, pills and etc.

Qing Dynasty Blue and White Bowl mid - late 19th century

Qing Dynasty Blue and White Bowl mid - late 19th century, discovered at reclaimation developments projects adjacent seafront of Straits of Malacca in early 1970s. China has always been richly endowed with the raw materials needed for making ceramics. The first types were made about 11,000 years ago, during the Palaeolithic era. Chinese Ceramics range from construction materials such as bricks and tiles to hand built pottery vessels fired in bonfires or kilns to the sophisticated porcelain wares made for the imperial court.

Historic shipwrecks are attractive to maritime archaeologists because they preserve historical information about seafaring, warfare and life. Military wrecks that were caused by a skirmish at sea are studied to find details about the historic event and reveal much about the battle that occured. Underwater cultural heritage is invaluable testimony to ancient civilizations. A shipwreck as well as an underwater ruin is a time capsule waiting to be unlocked. In many cases it is of great historical and cultural importance.

The Qing Dynasty also known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the last ruling dynasty of China from 1644 to 1912. The dynasty was founded by the Manchu clan Aisin Gioro. Starting in 1644 it expanded into China proper and its surrounding territories, establishing the Empire of the Great Qing. Later Jin Dynasty in 1616, it changed its name to "Qing", meaning "clear" or "pellucid", in 1636 and captured Beijing in 1644. By 1646 it had come into power over most of present day China, although complete pacification of China would not be accomplished until 1683.

Melaka was as a major player in the spice trade, serving as a fateway between the Spice Islands and high paying Eurasian merkets. One of the factors that contributed to the rise of Malacca was the monsoon winds that enabled Arab and Indian traders from the west to travel to China in the east and vice versa. This is reflected by the Portuguese writer Duarte Barbosa who wrote "He who is lord of Malacca has his hand on the throat of Venice".

Malacca Qing Dynasty 17th - 20th century Celadon Bowl

Malacca Qing Dynasty 17th - 20th century Celadon Bowl, discovered at reclaimation developments projects adjacent seafront Straits of Malacca in early 1970s. The term "celedon" for the pottery's pale jade green glaze was first applied by European connoisseurs of the wares. One theory is that the name first appeared in France in the 17th century and is named for a shepherd named Celadon (after a character in Ovid's Metamorphoses) in Honore d Urfe's French pastoral romance, L'Astree (1627) who wore pale green ribbons.

China has always been richly endowed with the raw materials needed for making ceramics. The first types were made about 11,000 years ago, during the Palaeolithic era. Chinese Ceramics range from construction materials such as bricks and tiles to hand built pottery vessels fired in bonfires or kilns to the sophisticated porcelain wares made for the imperial court.

Historic shipwrecks are attractive to maritime archaeologists because they preserve historical information about seafaring, warfare and life. Military wrecks that were caused by a skirmish at sea are studied to find details about the historic event and reveal much about the battle that occured. Underwater cultural heritage is invaluable testimony to ancient civilizations. A shipwreck as well as an underwater ruin is a time capsule waiting to be unlocked. In many cases it is of great historical and cultural importance.

The Qing Dynasty also known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the last ruling dynasty of China from 1644 to 1912. The dynasty was founded by the Manchu clan Aisin Gioro. Starting in 1644 it expanded into China proper and its surrounding territories, establishing the Empire of the Great Qing. Later Jin Dynasty in 1616, it changed its name to "Qing", meaning "clear" or "pellucid", in 1636 and captured Beijing in 1644. By 1646 it had come into power over most of present day China, although complete pacification of China would not be accomplished until 1683.

Melaka was as a major player in the spice trade, serving as a fateway between the Spice Islands and high paying Eurasian merkets. One of the factors that contributed to the rise of Malacca was the monsoon winds that enabled Arab and Indian traders from the west to travel to China in the east and vice versa. This is reflected by the Portuguese writer Duarte Barbosa who wrote "He who is lord of Malacca has his hand on the throat of Venice".

Saturday, October 4, 2008

The Kingdom of Ayutthaya Celadon

This wreck was discovered at a depth of 46 meters, 40 nautical miles offshore from Kuantan, Malaysia. Four years of excavations were completed in September 1998. The recovered cargo from the Royal Nanhai includes 20,973 pieces of pottery. The largest portion is celedon in various shapes from the Si-Satchanalai, or "Sawankhalok" kilns. The most unusual thing about this site is that it does not contain any remains of a ship's structure. Seven pieces of blue and white pottery from China and Vietnam were also discovered and the style of their painted designs, suggests a date for the wreck of mid 15th century. This date is supported by a carbon - 14 date corresponding to AD 1400 +/- 70 years.

Celadon is a term for ceramics denoting both a type glaze, and a ware of a specific color, also called celadon. Celadon glaze refers to a family of transparent, crackle glazes, produced in a wide variety of colors, generally used on porcelain or white stoneware clay bodies. However, the most famous celadons range in color from a very pale green crackle to deep intense greens, often meant to mimic the green shades of jade. By the end of the 14th century, Ayutthaya was regarded as the strongest power in Indochina, but it lacked the manpower to daminate the region. Eventually Ayutthaya subdued the territory that had belonged to Sukhothai, and the year after Ramathibodi died, his kingdom was recognized by the emperor of Ming Dynasty as Sukhothai's rightful successor.

The kingdom of Ayutthaya was a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767. King Ramathibodi I (Uthong) founded Ayutthaya as the capital of his kingdom in 1350 and absorbed Sukhothai, 640 km to the north, in 1376. Over the next four centuries the kingdom expanded to become nation of Siam, whose borders were roughly those modern Thailand, except for the north, the Kingdom of Lannathai. During much of the fifteenth century Ayutthaya's energies were directed toward the Malay Peninsula, where the great trading port of Malacca contested its claims to sovereignty. Ayutthaya was successful with the military support of Ming China and Japan, who wanted to share the wealth of trade at Malacca.

Malacca Song Dynasty 10th - 13th century Celadon Bowl & Dish Plate

Malacca Song Dynasty 10th - 13th century Celadon dish plate, discovered at reclaimation developments projects adjacent seafront Straits of Malacca in early 1970s. Celadon production had a long history at Longquan and related sites, but it was not until the Five Dynasties (907 - 960) and Northern Song (960 - 1127) period that production of scale truly began. In the Northen Song period the Dayao kiln site alone produced wares at twenty - three separate kilns. This being said the era of greatest ceramic production.

The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 - 1279 CE; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese polity to establish a permanent standing navy. The Song Dynasty is divided into two distinct periods: the Northern Song and Southern Song. During the Northern Song 960 - 1127 and the Southern Song 1127 - 1279 refers to the period after the Song lost control pf northern China to the Jin Dynasty.

Southeast Asia has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The communities in the region evolved to form complex cultures with varying degrees of influence from India and China. The ancient kingdoms can be grouped into two distinct categories. The first is agrarian kingdoms. Agrarian kingdoms had agriculture as the main economic activity. Most agrarian states were located in mainland Southeast Asia. The second type is maritime states. Maritime states were dependent on sea trade. Srivijaya and Malacca were maritime states.

Srivijaya had established suzerainty over large areas of Sumatra, western Java and much of the Malay Peninsula. Dominating the Malacca and Sunda straits, Srivijaya controlled both the spice route traffic and local trade, charging a toll on passing ships. Serving as an entrepot for Chinese, Malay, and Indian markets, the port of Palembang, accessible from the cost by way of a river, accumulated great wealth. Envoys traveled to and from China frequently.

Board of Commissioners of Currency Malaya and British Borneo Bank Note 1959

observe: Board of Commissioners of Currency Malaya and British Borneo, One Dollar, 1 March 1959, Malay Canoe
reverse: Arms of Federation of Malaya, Brunei, Sarawak, Singapore, & North Borneo, Malay Canoe

Board of Commissioners of Currency Malaya and British Borneo Bank Note 1953

observe: Board of Commissioners of Currency Malaya and British Borneo, One Dollar, 21 March 1953, Portrait of Queen Elizabeth The Second
reverse: Arms of Federation of Malaya (Perak, Pahang, Negri Sembilan, Selangor, Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan, Trengganu, Malacca, and Penang), Singapore, Brunei, North Borneo, & Sarawak.

Board of Commissioners of Currency Malaya Bank Note 1941

observe: Board of Commissioners of Currency Malaya, One Dollar, 1 July 1941, Portrait of George VI King & Emperor
reverse: Arms of Straits Settlements & 11 Malay States (Perak, Pahang, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Kedah, Perlis, Johore, Kelantan, Trengganu, and Brunei)