Indonesian Ceramic Shipwreck Vessel

Reddish-brown and slightly lopsided, with a rim glaze that went its own way.

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. Compact jar in glossy reddish brown, with strong horizontal ridges around the lower body and a slightly uneven outline. Darker glaze runs over the lip, and the surface is marked by small scrapes and soil. It is 4.5 inches wide, 4.5 deep, 7.5 high and 0.09 in diameter.

A little wobble adds a good deal of character.