This celadon pitcher was found along with the Tang shipwreck which was discovered off Belitung Island in 1998. Belitung is to the southeast of the Singapore Straits, and was a common passage for ships travelling from the Java Sea towards the Straits of Malacca. The ship is one of the earliest ship found in Southeast Asia thus far, pointing to the presence of the Nanhai (South Seas) Trade, an active maritime network between China, Southeast Asia and West Asia between the 7th - 13th century.

Pottery was one of the key exports from Tang China to the rest of Asia between the 8th to 11th century. Celadon ware from Yue kilns such as this pitcher, for instance, was acquired by elites who valued them for their beauty and elegance.

Reproduction based on the collection of Asian Civilisations Museum.