Number 28, May 2020 a Celadon Baluster Vase with an Ovoid Body and Writing on the Right Notes the Offering Date of 1825 Taiwan Trumpet Neck (Fig

Number 28, May 2020 A celadon baluster vase with an ovoid body and writing on the right notes the offering date of 1825 Taiwan trumpet neck (fig. 3) is in the collection of Protection and the left indicates the donors to be worshippers A New Discovery of dated Dong-xi Kiln Celadon from Temple on the island of Kinmen. It is 47 centimeters from the Dong-xi kiln area. the Qing dynasty in Taiwan high with incised peony flower decorations and In the collection of Haotien Temple in Taichung in covered in a light cyan glaze. On the front of the vase, central Taiwan is a cylinder-shaped celadon incense Tai-kang Lu, Professor, Department of Art History, Tainan National University of the Arts written in underglaze cobalt blue, is the former name burner measuring 18 cm in height (fig. 4). It is covered of the temple ‘Pinglin Temple’ and the names of the in a pale green glaze with an inscription that reads two deities worshiped there: ‘Baosheng Emperor’ ‘Haotien Temple’ and ‘Holy Mother in Heaven’ incised (a medicine god of southern Fujian) and ‘Lord Li’ (a on the front. The inscription on the right side states famous general in the Tang dynasty turned deity). The that this vase was an offering made in 1879 and the The island of Taiwan, also called Formosa is situated left side records the donors to be local worshippers. off the southeastern shore of the Asian continent. It The unglazed part of the base shows a deliberate iron- plays a pivotal role in East Asia’s maritime system, brown wash, which was a classic characteristic of with Japan and the Ryūkyū Islands to the north, Dong-xi kiln workmanship. the Philippines neighbouring to the south across These heirloom Dong-xi celadon wares collected the Bashi Channel, the Pacific Ocean to the east, and passed down in Taiwan temples are well- and Mainland China’s Fujian Province lying to the preserved and explicitly dated, which indicates the west, beyond the 200 kilometer wide Taiwan Strait. time of their export was around the 19th century, In recent years, after investigating many cultural during the late Qing dynasty. Furthermore, the relics around Taiwan, the author discovered a large inscriptions on the wares also clearly demonstrate quantity of heirloom celadon from temples made by the the context of the Taiwanese local religion, including Dong xi kiln in Fujian province in south China during important information regarding the specific deities the Qing dynasty (1644–1912). Among these are some worshipped, temples associated, and donors involved. rare examples with dated inscriptions. The Dong-xi kiln, previously named Hua-An kiln, was located in the Dong-xi River basin, where the Fig. 2 (left) Celadon vase, Qing dynasty, the 4th year of Xianfeng reign (1854). southwestern border of Hua-An county meets the Height: 72cm. Grand Matsu Temple, Tainan. eastern border of Nan-Jin county in the Zhangzhou Fig. 3 (right) Celadon vase, Qing dynasty, the 5th year of Daoguang reign area west of the Jiu-long River in southern Fujian. (1825). Height: 47 cm. Protection Temple, Kinmen. The investigation and excavation of the Dong-xi kiln began in the 1980s. Through the analysis of unearthed Fig. 1 Celadon vase, Qing dynasty, the 5th year of Daoguang reign (1825) Protection Temple, Kinmen. objects, it has been concluded that the Dong-xi kiln was in production during the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing dynasties, firing a great variety of ceramics, including celadon, white porcelain, blue-and-white porcelain, green-glazed stoneware, etc. From the 17th important information pertaining to the title and to 19th centuries, considerable quantities of ceramics name of the deity, the name of the temple and donors, produced by the kiln were exported overseas, although and the date of offering, etc. little was known of the trading of celadon from this A large celadon vase with animal-shaped handles kiln. The only exception is from the ceramic cargo of (fig. 2) is in the collection of the Grand Matsu Temple, the Tek Sing shipwreck, which was recovered in 1999 Tainan city. This vase has an incised floral and leaf in the waters of Indonesia. However, this author’s pattern on the main body. With a height reaching field studies on artefacts in Taiwan and surrounding 72 centimeters, it is truly grand. An inscription on islands resulted in finding quite a number of well- the middle of the body can be interpreted as ‘Tainan preserved Qing dynasty Dong-xi kiln celadons in County’ and ‘The Temple of the Sea Goddess’. To the temples in various locations (fig. 1). They are mainly right, another inscription notes 1854 as the year of incense burners and floral offering vases intended donation, and that to the left states the donors were three of the largest business associations in Taiwan at Fig. 4 Celadon incense burner, Qing dynasty, the 5th year of Guangxu reign (1878). for religious ceremonies, some of them with dated Height: 18 cm. Haotien Temple, Taichung. inscriptions. The inscriptions on the vessels contain the time. 22 The Oriental Ceramic Society Newsletter The Oriental Ceramic Society Newsletter 23.

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