Bát Tràng Ceramics 14th – 19th centuries

Ceramic craft of Vietnam has a long history dating back almost ten thousand years ago to the end of the Hoa Binh culture and the beginning of the Bac son culture. During the Ly (1010-1225), the Tran (1226- 1400), the Le (1428- 1527) and the Mac (1527- 1592), Vietnam produced ceramic wares which were rich in form and varied in glaze not only to satisfy domestic demand but also to supply the export market. Of the caramic villages established Bat Trang was one of the most famous. It developed du ring this period and production has continued until today.
Bat Trang wares are widely consumed inside the country and have, at times, been exported to many countries of East Asia, southeast Asia, and to a number of other countries. Presently antique Bat Trang wares are collected by a number of museums overseas, having been discovered in achaeological excavations at sites in Southeast Asian countries. In Vietnam, they have been collected and displayed at many museums, and are kept at a number of communal houses and pagodas, temples, shrines and private homes. The National Museum of vietNam History, in particular, currently maintains in storage a rich collection of Bat Trang wares, of which several pieces carry inscription recording clearly the time of production, the name of the patron who placed the order and the name of the potter.