The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. XLIV, Part 1-2, 1956 - Khamkoo

Siam and the Pottery Trade of Asia
R5
these large water ;iars, whether of Siamese or Chinese manufacture,
eventually became centered at Martaban. Cumbersome
as they were the Sawankalok jars were undoubterlly shipped overland
to this pol't by elephant caravn.ns, while e;ome of the jnrs from
China which reached Siam may have been shipped over the same
route. It would appear·, however, that most of the jars of Cbine~,;e
make reached Martaban by sea.
Since this trade became centered
at Martabnn, these large storage vessels became known as 1\fartaban
jars and thf;l belief grew up that they were actually manufactured
at the Peguan port. In India anc1 elsewhere the term Martaban
became variously corrnptecl into Martavan and Martabani as terms
to designate any celadon or celaclon-like ware, since considerable
quantities of celaclon ghoree dishes of Chinese origin were also
exported from the Martahan pottery entrepfit or from other ports in
the delta region of Burma, such as Syriam and Bassein. In India
the term Martaban became so synonymous for any large glazed
water vessel that the Ohinese and Siamese jars were later copied
in the 18th century by Muslim potters aronnd Delhi who unabashedly
marked their wares with the word "Marta1lril1". Occasional
references are made to Pegu jars of local mannfactnre which were
exported from Martaban and other ports in lower Bnrma. So far
as I have been able to ascertain, these were of nnglazecl earthenware
nnd were made solely as containers :Cor export commodities, much
as the Siamese at Ayuthia in the 17th century employed similar
vessels as containers for expo1t.ing oil, honey ancl other loc:al
products.
The best description of the so-called Martab:~n j:ws is to be
found in Namme Ottema's H andboek de;· Ohineesche 0e1'rtrm'ek.
They have been found all the WRY from the Philippines to Egypt,
and what look vel'y much like such water jat·s can be seen in the
12t·h century reliefs at Pl':trnbnnan and Borohndnr in .Java. At
Khao Phra Vih§.ra, nn 11th-12th century Kbmer ruin on the Thai­
Camboclian border, there is a remarkable relief depicting the
Chnming of the Ocean in which appears a jar having no resemblance
to the typical KlHner vessels but looking very much lUre some of
the Martal:um water jars. These jars were desct·ibPd by Ibn