Stoneware jarlets with underglaze cobalt decoration. 15th–16th century. Red River Kilns, Hai Duong Province, Vietnam. Asian Archaeology, Frasché Collection. UMMAA (l to r): 47357, 47354, 47398, 47854.

Vietnamese ceramics are less well known than their contemporary Chinese counterparts. Vietnamese potters began producing blue-and-white wares in the 14th century. By the 15th and 16th centuries, Vietnamese ceramics were traded widely through Southeast Asia. The small jarlets shown here, decorated with floral and geometric motifs, are from that era. They are part of a sizable collection of Vietnamese ceramics donated by Dean Frasché (1906–1994). Frasché worked for the Union Carbide Corporation and spent much of his career in Southeast Asia. Although not trained in archaeology, he became a well-respected specialist in Southeast Asian ceramics. He formed a warm friendship with UMMA curator Kamer Aga Oglu and donated objects to our Museum and the Smithsonian Institution. 

Back to Day 115 or continue to Day 117.

In honor of the University of Michigan’s 2017 bicentennial, we are celebrating the remarkable archaeological and ethnographic collections and rich legacy of research and teaching at the Museum of Anthropological Archaeology by posting one entry a day for 200 days. The entries will highlight objects from the collections, museum personalities, and UMMAA expeditions. The Kelsey Museum of Archaeology is also posting each day for 200 days on Twitter and Facebook (follow along at #KMA200). After the last post, an exhibition on two centuries of archaeology at U-M opens at the Kelsey. Visit the exhibit—a joint project of the UMMAA and the Kelsey—from October 18, 2017 to May 27, 2018.