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  • ceramics

    • Artifact ID #: 0168
    • Excavation Unit: Locality 30
    • Level: Unknown
    • Identification: Chinese porcelain sauce cup with blue maker’s mark, “Celadon” style glaze. The term “celadon” refers to the uniquely bluish-green glaze that is the main decoration for this type of ceramic, and was a relatively common type of tableware in Chinese communities in the United States. “Celadon” came in a variety of shapes and sizes from large bowls, spoons, saucers, sauce dishes, spoons, and small cups. This type of vessel was likely used for holding a sauce (perhaps soy, orange, ginger, or another type) that the Chinese would use for dipping portions of their meals. Originally produced for the wealthy in China for hundreds of years, celadon became popular for the working class Chinese immigrant in the late 1800s. According to a Chinese store ledger from California, celadon vessels cost twice that of other ceramics imported from China. “The presence of a high number of celadon vessels in a single area might indicate that the occupant of a home was more wealthy than their neighbors. The blue maker´s mark on the base of this vessel originally denoted the pottery factory, but due to the illiteracy of many Chinese potters during the 19th century, the information has been forever lost.”


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