Merged ceramics

jrubio · Mar 12, 2019, 00:42:38

Hi! I recently acquired the ceramics attached. As in the pictures, both bowls are merged into each other. I don't think that the piece is a waste from a kiln as no kilns were present in the area. Anyone can provide some more information? Thanks.

peterp · Mar 12, 2019, 08:04:02

That is odd because it hardly may be used if stuck together. Do you think it is possible that they were stuck together in more recent times to increase value? Are these already yours? Just a suggestion: You could try putting them into a plastic bag or container and pouring some acetone in it. Just a little so that the air inside is saturated. Items need not be immersed. Then leave it for a day and see if they get separated. If they get separated, then a modern glue was used. If this is the condition the bowls came out of the kiln, this should not damage them.

The grit on the foot rim looks a bit like if it could be Korean.

jrubio · Mar 14, 2019, 10:11:41

Mmmm, let me try the acetone, but I don't think they are glued together. Taking a close look at the pieces, it certainly looks like the glaze is the one that keeps them together. However, as I said, I don't think they came out of the kiln like that as I acquired them in Indonesia. I did acquire them because I was curious about this phenomenon. I am not too aware either of Korean ceramics reaching this area, but mostly Chinese or from Southeast Asia.

peterp · Mar 14, 2019, 16:46:46

The question is simple - was this discarded or used. In the old times such items may have been too precious to discard, but they would have tried to separate them by destroying one, if fused together in the kiln. Which means one or both would have been damaged. And the items do not look as if they are from a shipwreck either. So, might it be that they were made in Vietnam or elsewhere in SE Asia?

johnno42000 · Mar 15, 2019, 02:11:06

Probably way off target but is it possible that the lower dish was meant to hold very hot water and the upper dish something else, perhaps food that needs keeping warm or medicine?

peterp · Mar 15, 2019, 08:14:30

A bit cumbersome for cleaning, I would think.

johnno42000 · Mar 15, 2019, 08:18:30

It would only be the top dish that needed cleaning properly, the bottom one would only hold hot/boiling water. Probably wrong but a clever dish if right. :-)

jrubio · Mar 15, 2019, 09:32:16

It looks to me like it most likely happened by accident than intentionally. Wondering if being underwater for long periods of time may have created this..

peterp · Mar 15, 2019, 11:42:14

Marine growth could the the cause in case of shipwreck porcelain. But these bowls show nothing indicating they could be shipwreck ceramics. I still think they are not Chinese.