Jian Ware tea bowls and wasters from Jianyang, Fujian Province, China. Date: AD 960–1279. Asian Archaeology, Plumer Collection. UMMAA 47488, UMMAA 47560.

These Song Dynasty glazed stoneware tea bowls were excavated by James Marshall Plumer from debris mounds at kiln sites in Fujian Province, China. Plumer gained international recognition as the first Westerner to identify production sites of these well-known and widely traded vessels. Some of the vessels fused to the containers meant to protect them during firing; the glaze on others warped and bubbled. Together this important collection of ceramic “failures” provides valuable information on ancient Chinese ceramic technologies.

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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.