Porcelain

Chinese archaeologists are hoping to recover the wreckage of an ancient merchant ship loaded with exquisite porcelain before the end of the year, says the Ministry of Communications.

The vessel, which dates back more than 800 years, was supposed to have been raised from the seabed off south China in October, but strong gales and technical glitches stalled the operation.

The earliest possible timetable disclosed by Vice Minister of Communications Huang Xianyao is late December and the state-run China Central Television will carry a live broadcast of the salvage, he said.

Pu Shida, an official with of the ministry's Salvage Bureau, told Xinhua that unexpected difficulties had occurred during the operation in the South China Sea.

Archaeologists launched an unprecedented operation in early May to raise the Nanhai No. 1, as they have named the vessel, and the surrounding silt in a huge steel basket.

Attempts to lower the rectangular basket into the water to cover the boat were hampered by a hard mud layer at about 10.5 meters beneath the seabed. It had taken way much longer than expected to put in place 36 specially designed steel beams, Pu explained.

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Behind the humble doors of the Gloucester Folk Museum lies a treasure trove of items that recently appointed curator Michael Meldrum has described as "one of the finest collections" he's ever come across.

Michael has taken on the role of honourary curator at the museum and has been steadily cataloguing and valuing the collection for the past six months.

He said the job however, keeps growing.

"I thought I'd have it knocked over in a year, but it keeps growing.

And it's a job that came about by accident.

Michael was in Gloucester for something else and just happened to wander into the museum as part of the visit.

"I walked in and was astonished by a lot of the things I found there," he said.

"A lot of these things any museum would be proud to own, there's a real depth to the collection.

He has described the collection as a "pocket of local history" but the importance of many of the items housed in the historic building is only just being unearthed as Michael researches and puts many of the pieces into context.

One of his favourite pieces at the museum is what has been lovingly referred to as "the dog bowl" for many years.

It is however a piece of 1770s Liverpool Delph ceramic ware.

The punchbowl is marked "Succefs to the British Arms" and relates to the American War of Independence.

"It is one of the most serious objects I've ever seen," said Michael.

"It's an extremely rare piece," he said.

The Chinese-style markings on the outside the bowl are Delph's attempts to compete with Chinese porcelain.

Michael said it is one of the most unique pieces in the country, and something he had never seen before.

The bowl was donated to the museum many years ago, a gift that Michael guesses was probably made by someone who couldn't bear to see the bowl "go to the tip".

"I don't know who you were but you're a wonderful person," he said.

The museum's collection of war memorabilia is also something that has left Michael somewhat staggered.

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Author description: Three pieces of Korean porcelain in the Freer Gallery of the Smithsonian. The vase on the left is from the Joseon Dynasty (14c~20c) and the others were made in the Goryeo Dynasty (10c-14c).

Comments: I've attempted marbling with different types of stoneware, it's really hard if the consistencies are different!

From the Freer Gallery of the Smithsonian.