Chinese porcelains as an indicator of 14th to 17th-century Singapore's taste and preferences: a case study of Saint Andrews' Cathedral

This thesis focuses on three different types of Chinese porcelains found in the archaeological assemblage of the Saint Andrew’s Cathedral site (STA): blue and white, green, and white porcelains. These porcelains date to the period between the 14th-century and 1600. This MA project discusses the types of Chinese porcelains found there by examining their possible provenance, form, and motifs. This thesis presents a typology of porcelain in the archaeological assemblage, making it possible to draw comparisons between these excavated porcelains and examples represented in existing scholarship. These comparisons can demonstrate the consumption patterns of the consumers at the STA site. By comparing the STA porcelains and other ware found in other archaeological sites in Singapore, one can attempt to determine if the users of each site had a clear pattern of consumption for certain types of ware, and hence were not necessarily limited in their consumption behavior by what the merchants imported. This thesis aims to fill various gaps in existing scholarship by focusing on the export wares excavated from a specific site. This analysis of the STA porcelain sub-assemblage shows that several wares appear to be unique to the STA assemblage and might provide interesting insight on the users of these ceramic sherds and by extension, the area around the STA site. This thesis presents an example of an archaeological approach whereby a detailed analysis and classification of a type of material, Chinese porcelain, can be used to extricate information such as the consumer patterns of the inhabitants of 14th-16th-century Singapore.