Covered box, 15th Century, Annam, Vietnam. This small lidded vessel possibly comes from a ship wreck find as seen from some traces. Such finds are mainly discovered in the coastal regions between Annam and Indonesia, Borneo and the Philippines. The very well preserved box is painted with easy strokes in underglaze blue and presents floral and geometric patterns. The flat cover is decorated with a flower shape, probably a chrysanthemum with thirteen petals and some foliage.
Refers to Vietnamese porcelain, since Annam was the name of the southernmost province of China after the Tang dynasty. The name is the Vietnamese form of the Chinese name "the Pacified South". In modern time, Annam was a French protectorate encompassing the central region of Vietnam.
In recent time a wreck find was made containing a large amount of Vietnamese (Annamese) porcelain. See: Hoi An Hoard
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