Abstract
After the Wanli shipwreck was discovered 60 miles off the east coast of Tan jong Jara in Malaysia, numerous marvelous ceramic shards have been salvaged from the seabed. Remarkable pieces of Jingdezhen blue-and-white porcelain recovered from the site represent the essential part of the fascinating research.
The porcelain cargo of Wanli is significant to the studies on trade of Jingdezhen exported porcelains, and cultural exchange of China's Belt and Road Initiative. The article discusses the Jingdezhen blue-and-white porcelains from the perspective of domestic versus export markets and further proceeds to the systematization and analyses of Wanli shipwreck porcelain which bear witness to the forms, styles and decoration that were being traded in this period.
The porcelain data from two other shipwrecked projects (White leeuw and Hatcher) were chosen as comparative case studies and Wanli shipwreck Jingdezhen blue-and-white porcelain is being reinterpreted in the context of art history and archeology of the region. The archaeologist named the ship "Wanli" because its porcelain cargo typical of those made during the reign of Emperor Wanli of Ming dynasty.
Though some scholars question its appropriateness, the final verdict is still to be made. Based on previous historical argumentation, the article uses a comparative approach to review the 'Wanli' blue-and-white porcelains on the grounds of the porcelains unearthed from the tomb or abandoned in the towns and carrying the time-specific reign mark.
Thus, all these materials shed light on a very strong evidence which suggests that the porcelain recovered from Wanli ship can be dated to as early as 1622 and early Chongzhen reign. It showcases how knowledge work and material undertaking constituted the exported porcelain of Ming dynasty and more broadly reflected the variegated terrain of porcelain production in China at the time.