Pair of Huge Antique 17th Century Chinese Stoneware Martaban Jars/Vases with Dra

Pair of Huge Antique 17th Century Chinese Stoneware Martaban Jars/Vases with Dragon Relief Design 
H32”x W15” rim 10” 
£1595
Ref/0093
These large stoneware jars became to be known as Martabans (or Martavaans in Dutch) because Arab, Indian, Chinese and later European traders purchased them often in the port of Martaban, on the west coast of Burma. Although these jars were primarily made to hold water, wine, edible oils and pickles on long sea-voyages. In Indonesia, particularly in Borneo, some were treated as ancestral sacred vessels in which spirits resided or they were used to store the bones of the deceased. Martabans were not only made in Southern China but probably also in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia The earliest recordings are from the 14th century.