Indian and Chinese pottery
Chinese pottery salvaged from shipwrecks in the Melaka Strait, left to right: 540-year-old Celadon plate and 170-year-old Chinese urn.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a number of Indian and Chinese pottery enterprises were established, catering to local market requirements for vessels used in marriage, birth and death rites, religious festivals, celebrations and daily use. Some potteries still use traditional methods in the making of these vessels, but plaster moulds are used to increase production and new mixtures of clay have been introduced for certain ranges of pottery. The number of Indian potters is decreasing, while Chinese enterprises often import goods from China to sell alongside locally manufactured goods.
- Information in the full article includes
- Indian pottery areas and forms
- Methods of producing Indian pottery
- Chinese pottery
- Products, clays and glazes