Vase in Chinese export porcelain for the Asian market, Zhengzhou kilns (Swatow ware), c. 1550, Ming dynasty.

Vase with cover in coarse Chinese export porcelain for the Asian market, Zhengzhou kilns (Swatow ware), decorated in underglaze cobalt blue (qinghua) with “long Eliza’s” and attendants, c. 1550, Ming dynasty, h. 17,5 cm, 7 in. 1.13210

Illustrated: 100 Years of Chinese Export Porcelain, by A. Varela Santos, 2014/2015, cat. 133.

◆ Recent archaeological research has proved that a group of kilns in the Fujian province were producing coarse porcelain for export mainly to the Asian market from c. 1570 until c. 1650, but not to Europe where they preferred the lighter and better quality porcelain from the private Jingdezhen kilns.
The Portuguese and later the Dutch were active traders in these wares in the inter-Asia commerce, which were known as Swatow porcelain from the port from where they were exported.

The long civil wars of the mid-17th century brought to an end, or reduced drastically, the activity of these kilns.

為亞洲市場燒造的中國外銷瓷青花粗瓷仕女蓋罐, 漳州窯 (汕頭瓷), 紋飾繪有“淑女”和丫鬟, 約1550年, 明朝, 高17.5釐米, 7 英吋。

插图: 《百年中国外销瓷》 阿.瓦瑞拉.桑托斯, 2014/2015, 目录 133。

◆ 最近的考古研究證明福建省的一批窯廠在1570至1650年間燒造粗瓷, 主要出口到亞洲市場, 但不出口到歐洲市場, 因為歐洲人更喜歡景德鎮民窯生產的更輕質量更好的瓷器。葡萄牙人, 然後是荷蘭人在亞洲粗瓷貿易中扮演了積極商人的角色。這些粗瓷叫做汕頭瓷, 取名于它們的出口 港。

17世紀中期的長期內戰結束了,或者說“急劇減少”了這些窯廠的生產活動。