Jar
Category
Ceramics
Date
Unknown
Materials
Glazed stoneware
Measurements
800 x 750 mm
Place of origin
Burma
Order this imageCollection
Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Kent
NT 802429
Summary
Storage jar of ‘Martaban’ type, glazed stoneware, of round, ovoid shape, widening towards the middle and curving inwards at the top, where four lug handles for ropes or coverings have been attached, with a slightly everted rim more or less the same diameter as the base, possibly made in or near Martaban (present-day Mottama), Burma, or elsewhere in South-East Asia, 16th century or later, with a greenish-brown glaze covering most of the jar except towards the base, decorated with two horizontal lines in white slip near the top and eight vertical bands of dots within lines in white slip along the sides.
Full description
Large, sturdy jars like this were produced across South-East Asia and were used to store and transport various types of food and water, and possibly other goods. Martaban (Mottama) in present-day Burma was a place of production of such ceramics, but it was also an important port and centre of trade, so these jars may have been made there, but it is also possible they originally came from elsewhere in South-East Asia. Such vessels were dispersed via maritime trade routes, making their exact origins difficult to trace (and the fact that Nigel Nicolson is said to have found this one in Cairo is indicative of that). Their form and decoration changed relatively little from the 14th century onwards, so the dating of individual jars is likewise often difficult to determine. A pair of similar Martaban jars is in the collection at Morville Hall, NT 202501.1-2.
Provenance
Thought to have been acquired by Harold Nicolson (1886-1968) for £10 in a market in Cairo, 1937; donated to the National Trust by Nigel Nicolson (1917-2004), 1967.