Indonesian Ceramic Shipwreck Vessel

Near-black and handsome, with a pale splash sweeping across its middle like a river on a map.

This shipwreck vessel is from Java Sea near Borneo, Indonesia, and dates to the 17th or 18th century. It is pottery. Funnel-shaped earthenware from the late Song or early Yuan periods is believed to have carried mercury, which alchemists long associated with immortality and which physicians prescribed for a variety of illnesses. Wide-mouthed jar, rounded and dark, with a flared lip and a smooth deep-brown surface. A broad band of pale, crusty deposit streaks across the lower body, and fine cracks and scratches show near the rim. It is 8 inches high and 5 in diameter.

Dark, dignified, and wearing a surprise stripe.