Before, the ceramic experts conclused the beginning date of the blue and white ceramics are in circa 14th century, it's same time with the periods of Tran dynasty (Vietnam) and Yuan dynasty (China). They are completely right untill now for Vietnamese blue and white ceramics which recovered at the exact archaeological stratums and the otherones from shipwrecks that
Before, the ceramic experts conclused the beginning date of the blue and white ceramics are in circa 14th century, it's same time with the periods of Tran dynasty (Vietnam) and Yuan dynasty (China). They are completely right untill now for Vietnamese blue and white ceramics which recovered at the exact archaeological stratums and the otherones from shipwrecks that transporting the exsported ceramics with their relative date. However, there are a lot of opinions recently needed discussed on the Chinese blue and white ceramics as: the Chinese blue and white ceramics are dated in the Yuan or Sung dynasties or older. All these opinions are not final conclusion until now.
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August 2006, the writer (authority of this paper) was lucky in taking part in the researched group to Singapore and visited the Belingtung ancient shipwreck which was bought from Indonesia by Singapore with price 32 millions USD for preparing exhibition of a new museum of silk line on the sea that will be established in the comingtime. Among 60,000 objects that excavated from this shipwreck by The Seabed Exploration Company, a lot of ceramics provenanced from the mandarin kilns (the kilns produced ceramics that serve the noble class or mandarin such as: kilns in Ha Bac and Triet Giang provinces (China)) and some golden, silve objects with skillfull decorations. And 400 objects were selected from these 60,000 objects exhibited in the Sentose park (Singapore) on June 2005. Decorations and signals on these ceramic, bronze objects showed that the Belingtung shipwreck dated in 9th century (belong to the Tang dynasty, China), going on sea route to the Islam countries and sunk in the Belingtung sea (Indonesia). Particularly, there are ceramic plates with skillfull drawing technique under glaze as: bright blue and its motifs characterized the Tang period. This bright blue of this plate was an evidence that make a change all above conclusions of the beginning date of Chinese blue and white ceramics. There are not only the blue and white ceramics but also polychrome, brown glazed ceramics were found in this shipwreck and they affirmed these plates are in dated in the Tang dynasty. So, this is an unique, earlest document and most clear provenance which demonstrate the appearance of the Chinese blue and white ceramics. However, this is not also the final conclusion untill now. That's why the researchers have to continue studying with new documents and excavations.
Pham Quoc Quan