'Zhangzhou' ware with Arabic Calligraphy

Swatow 'Zhangzhou' ware with Arabic Calligraphy

Swatow ware, a provincial export ware from the Wanli period (1573-1620), at end of the Ming dynasty. At least one kiln producing wares of this rough kind have now been discovered in Zhangzhou prefecture in Fujian province why the name Zhangzhou ware is now preferred by many Chinese scholars.

A large family of export ceramics of the 16th and 17th century was called Swatow ware. Swatow wares are characterized by sand adhering to the bottom of individual pieces and are usually associated with over-glaze enamel decoration using a distinctive palette dominated by iron red, turquoise and black. However, it may also be decorated in underglaze blue or in slip. The name is derived from Shantou, a coastal town in southeastern Guangdong province. The ware seems to have been widely made in the Jiangxi, Fujian, Yunnan, and Guangdong provinces. At least one kiln producing this "Swatow" ware have now been discovered in Zhangzhou prefecture in Fujian province why the name Zhangzhou ware is now preferred by many Chinese scholars.

"Swatow" wares were exported in large quantities to Europe, the Near East, and Southeast Asia. Some of them using Arabic calligraphy to appase the Islamic market especially in South East Asia, but always in Chinese style.

Collection of Museum of Asian Art, University of Malaya.