B.

This exhibition of Southeast Asian pottery showed developments over approximately 2,000 years, ending at about the eighteenth century.

The items recently purchased by the Robert McDougall Art Gallery came from Indonesia, from which they had been released from the National Museum. They represented a considerable period in the development of oriental ceramics. Pottery was also drawn from Canterbury and Otago Museums.

Chinese pots from the Ming and Sung dynasties were exhibited along with Annamese pots from Vietnam and Sawankhalok pots from Thailand.

In Sawankhalok ceramics, Chinese pottery styles were adapted to produce a range of wares that was uniquely Thai. The output included painted and monochrome figurines, boxes, bottles, pitchers, cups, bowls, dishes and a wide variety of export pieces.

Annamese wares were exported in large quantities to Indonesia and it is believed that the manufacture of ceramics in Annam (Vietnam) had a history almost as old as that of China. Dating of Annamese ceramics was largely dependent on similarities to Chinese pieces of different periods.