Artifacts of the Museum

Mercury Jars

Mercury Jars were probably used during and after the 14th century to store mercury for either medicinal purposes or to extract gold. Interestingly, several intact mercury jars were found in May 2002 during excavations at the adjacent Old Parliament House raising the possibility that they had been buried as religious or ceremonial items.

Blue-and-white porcelain

Underglaze blue decoration was an innovation of the Tang Dynasty. However it was not until the Yuan Dynasty that large numbers of blue-and-white waters made in Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province were exported to Southeast Asia, India and the Middle East. While large pieces of this early blue-and-white have been recovered in Indonesia, Thailand and elsewhere in SOutheast Asia, the bulk of the export wares were small vessels and miniature, ranging in quality from rough to quite fine, and often found in burial contexts.

Shufu (Whiteware)

Shufu, named after its molded mark was produced in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province during the Yuan Dynasty. Shufu glaze is similar to the blue-and-white porcelain - the two wares are technically related.